Thousand Cranes

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of suicide.

“‘What would the man think?’

‘He’d probably be disgusted by it. But he might find something attractive

in it, in having it for a secret. And then again the defect might bring out

good points. Anyway, it’s hardly a problem worth worrying about.’”

Kikuji’s father uses the smokescreen of a potential husband’s reaction to Chikako’s birthmark to express his own feelings toward Chikako and his reasons for pursuing an illicit relationship with her. Disgust merges with attraction, evoking the theme of The Juxtaposition of Beauty and Ugliness. The idea that one’s good points may be brought out by the existence of a defect echoes the Japanese aesthetic principle of wabi-sabi wherein imperfections are seen to contribute to the beauty of the whole.

“Chikako did not marry. Had the birthmark then governed her whole life? Kikuji never forgot the mark. He could sometimes imagine even that his own destinies were enmeshed in it.”

Kawabata uses a rhetorical question to show Kikuji’s uncertainty on the subject, and to encourage the reader to consider the subject matter thoughtfully as Kikuji does. In addition, he uses abrupt single clause sentences to convey information matter-of-factly. The destinies associated with the birthmark and its negative connotations evoke the theme of Legacy: Imperfect Transmission and Inevitability.

“‘But don’t you think it’s a little sad for the child?’

‘That’s exactly why we should use the child to get back at her. The child knows everything.’ […]

‘Suppose we have Kikuji here speak to his father.’

‘Try not to spread the poison too far, if you don’t mind.’ Even Kikuji’s mother had to protest.”

This quote introduces the cruelty and vindictiveness of Chikako’s character, as well as her willingness to use others to achieve her aims. Her callousness is emphasized by the repeated references to Fumiko as a “child,” therefore an innocent, and the juxtaposition to Kikuji’s mother’s more caring and sympathetic reaction.