The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket

Yasunari Kawabata’s “ The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” is very profound, using a lot of euphemisms and symbols suggested in its economic writing. At first glance, it seems simple enough, until you realize that it goes on a deeper level. The author also illustrates the love for Japanese tradition - that of making lanterns. The author’s use of euphemism and symbolism is shown at once in the opening paragraphs. The narrator saw a group of children on an insect chase with varicolored lanterns. There were crimson, pink, indigo, green, purple, yellow and one that glowed with five colors at once. This implies that there are different kinds of people. This showed the different characteristics of the children carrying the lanterns. The ones who were carrying red lanterns have the tendency to lean towards having intense emotions. Contradicting it is pink, which shows gentle emotions. Yellow shows wisdom and intellect. Green has been known for social stability and even greediness. Indigo is of dignity and high aspirations and violet is of noble spiritual aspirations, honor, spirituality and self-esteem. While the one carrying the lantern that glowed with five colors showed well - rounded

The process of building a lantern and chasing after insects shows the search for one’s identity. On paragraph 3, a comparison is made between the child who gets to buy a ready-made lantern and a child who cannot afford one and therefore builds one himself. The one who bought the lantern from a store shows that the child gets what he wants and that everything comes easy for him. Therefore, his character is not as tested because everything is spoon-fed to him. While the other one has a stronger character because he must strive for what he wants. The children’s making of lanterns shows the forging of character. Children are easily influenced by other people’s traits and personality especially if they are always with the other person or the person is older. This is shown when more and more children appeared on the spot where the child found an insect. They tend to imitate other people. It also shows continuous growth. “Then these wise child-artists, cutting out round, three-cornered…red and green, made a single and whole decorative pattern.” The sentence shows how the children start experimenting with different characters. It also shows that although we have a basic core of identity, there are still variations of different characteristics within us. Aside from that, it also shows competitiveness. At different points in our life, we also come into realization that we haven’t really found our true identity. As a result, we want our character to change for the better. This was illustrated when the child discarded his red lantern or when a lantern is thrown away because the design was too simple. Criticizing the lanterns is also a way to adhere to a certain identity because we already have a perception of what identity we should have. Children also have mercurial temperament, which was shown when a lantern was suddenly unsatisfying the morning after. The children experimented each day as how to make their lanterns better. This is the same as to how we continuously try to find our real identity using our hearts and minds. And once we do, we are proud of what we have achieved and of who we are. We feel contented like the children who are proud of their lanterns. “Look at my lantern! Be the most unusually beautiful!”

ness of a person and the capability to balance differ

Some topics in this essay:
Bell Cricket”, Fuijo Kiyoko, true love, Yasunari Kawabata’s, boy girl, Grasshopper Bell, one’s identity, glowed five colors, light reflected, love offered, glowed five, name girl’s, girl possession, five colors, upper school,