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Later an artist came to spread plaster on her face. The makeup that the actor had applied earlier made the woman’s face appear so alive that it looked as though the artist
were smothering the woman to death out of jealousy toward the actor. The artist made the death mask in order to remember the woman’s face.
Seeing that the battle of love that surrounded the woman did not end with her death, the man realized that even having her die in his arms was nothing but an empty,
fleeting victory.
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The notions that can be found in the quotation above are aligned with the notion that is delivered through the teaching of Zen Buddhism about the Realm of
Emptiness. Basically the madness of love or the greediness jealousy comes from the misleading worldly notions of coming and going that are not acknowledged in
the Zen Buddhism teachings since those notions only bring people into a never ending suffer. By liberating themselves from the concept of logical dualism, the
path of truth will be revealed and offers them some precious seeds of wisdom. This notion is perfectly said by Hosshin, a 13
th
century Japanese Zen monk through the quotation below:
Coming, all is clear, no doubt about it.
Going, all is clear, without a doubt.
What, then, is it all?
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E. Concluding Remarks
The death presence in Kawabata’s selected writings used in this study is portrayed in different ways. By using hermeneutics criticism, the readers are able
to reveal extra ordinary depictions of death that are presented Kawabata’s writings. In his writings that are used in this study, death is depicted in good ways due to
the solid mixture of the death presence in Kawabata’s life and the influence of Zen Buddhism teaching in his life as Japanese.
207
Kawabata, Palm of the Hand Stories 153.
208
Blackman 50.
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Further, Kawabata’s way in depicting the different portraits of death is related to the concept of death that he adopted based on Zen Buddhism teachings
which later forms a solemn parade of death. Since death is seen by using the concept of oneness in the Realm of Emptiness, death is believed as another form
of life.
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In this study, death is portrayed as life representation, life preservation, final redemption and total liberation.
Through a solemn parade that is showed by Kawabata through his selected short stories that are used in this study, death is used to represent the life itself.
The representation is given through the use of the readers’ five senses and flowing imagination which can be found through Kawabata’s narration in all stories. In
addition, the blending of opposite notions in the stories has created a dream-like situation for the readers to the extent that they cannot differentiate between the
solid reality and the dream-like world. As the impact, Kawabata’s stories are able to create a déjà vu experience through memories recalling and fine metaphors that
decorates the presence of death itself. Further, death is also seen as something that can maintain the life cycle itself since the presence of death is used to guarantee
the presence of life. Besides, it is considered as an engine that can gain eternity due to its ability in preserving the freshness of life and the genuineness of its
unforgettable flavor. Next, death is seen as final redemption. It means that death is seen as a way to redeem every mistake that has been done in the past which may
seem unforgivable. As the result, death is seen as something that enables people to restart a new brand life and finally gain an eternal peace. Last, death is seen as
something that can give a total liberation from any worldly notions that may
209
Hin-Jee 226.
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mislead human beings in running their precious life. The liberation itself finally will bring them back to their true nature as pure natural entities and gain eternal
peacefulness. Later, the presence of death found in Yasunari Kawabata’s seven selected
short stories will lead to the discussion of the second riddle discussed in this study. In the next chapter, the seeds of wisdom in life which generate from the presence
of death will be discussed further.
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CHAPTER IV THE SEEDS OF WISDOM
