26 pages • 52 minutes read
Yasunari KawabataThe Grasshopper and the Bell-Cricket
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1926A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Foils
The grasshopper and the bell cricket act as foils to each other. While similar in appearance, their sounds and spiritual meanings are vastly different. The grasshopper is a common insect whose trill is heard everywhere. The bell cricket is considered a rarity, with the ability to create a unique, special sound beloved in Japan for its gentleness and clarity and regarded as a symbol of the autumn season. Fujio and Kiyoko also act as foils. While they both initially appear as children taking part in the insect hunt, an act of childhood innocence, their illuminated names on each other’s bodies suggest that each represents deeper meanings of sexual awakening and romance.
Allegory
“The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” is an allegory, in which abstract ideas are given form through characters and objects. At the surface, it is a sweet story of children playing together outside, searching for insects. Yet, as the reader follows the tone of the narrator’s voice, full of enthusiasm at first and later of regret, it becomes clear that the events of this story symbolize universal ideas about the search for originality and authenticity and about the tendency of adult life to dull these innate drives.
Setting
The setting of this story supports the contrasts woven throughout the plot. The entire story takes place outside. The narrator begins by describing the university, a symbol of higher learning and a rite of passage into society. He walks away from it and moves toward a playground, a symbol of youth and carefree innocence. This physical movement in the setting supports the mental movement the narrator experiences as he takes in the joyous scene of the children engaging in an insect hunt.
The story takes place in the evening, and the play of light against the darkness works as a motif symbolizing the children’s search for originality and beauty. When the narrator discovers the embankment littered with colorful lanterns, it reminds him of “a festival one might see in a remote, country village” (Paragraph 2). The imagery of the setting is meant to evoke celebration of youth and a simplistic way of life, which is honored and rendered true and authentic. Finally, the setting is arranged so that the narrator can watch from a distance without being involved or even noticed by the children. He understands their experience, but, as if separated by a physical barrier, he cannot take part in it.
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By Yasunari Kawabata
