The Big Wave

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1947

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapter 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 2 Summary

One day, the volcano erupts. From the farm, Kino sees it burning, and his father watches anxiously all night long. In the village below, lights in the houses tell Kino that other fathers are watching as well. The sky is red and smoky in the morning, and ash falls on the farm. Kino’s father warns that sometimes “sea and earth and sky [...] work together against man” (17). At these times, they must be prepared but not afraid because fear makes men more likely to make mistakes.

In the afternoon, a red flag rises at the Old Gentleman’s castle, warning the villagers to be ready for whatever may come. Then a bell tolls, signifying that the Old Gentleman is inviting the villagers to take shelter within the castle. However, many do not go. Fishermen do not want to abandon their boats and houses, women do not wish to abandon their husbands, and children do not wish to leave their families. Still, some prefer the safety of the castle.

Kino watches as some villagers climb up the knoll to the castle. Eventually, he sees Jiya, whose father has ordered him to leave. Jiya is the youngest and will need to survive should the worst come, but the rest of the family—Jiya’s father, mother, and older brother—all remain in their house on the beach. Jiya objected, but his father insisted, saying, “It is your duty to obey me, as a good Japanese son” (20).

Jiya sees Kino and goes to him rather than the castle. From the mountainside near the farm, they see a dark swell rise. Kino recalls that the houses on the beach have no windows facing the ocean and wonders if those below realize what is coming. Jiya tries to run down the mountain to warn his father, but it is too late, and Kino’s father does not let him leave. In moments, the wave crashes over the village in a roar, reaching up to the foot of the mountain and turning the Old Gentleman’s castle into an island. Then, “with a great sucking sigh” (22), the ocean recedes, dragging everything off the beach with it. When the water calms, nothing is left of the village. Realizing that his entire family is dead, Jiya cries out and collapses.

Kino cries as well, for his friend and for all the people lost. Kino’s father carries Jiya to the farmhouse, where Kino’s mother makes soup while they wait for him to wake. Kino’s sister, Setsu, is too young to understand what has happened and asks why Jiya is sleeping and why Kino is crying. Kino’s father announces that when Jiya wakes they must be patient and show him that he still has a home with them. He has always wanted a second son, and now Jiya will be that son.

Chapter 2 Analysis

Though this is the shortest chapter, it has far-reaching consequences for the characters and contributes significantly to the novella’s meaning. The big wave, long feared and foreshadowed in the opening section, arrives, affirming the role of the ocean as antagonist. However, just as Kino’s father stated, it is not merely the ocean that is dangerous but all of nature: The volcanic eruption occurs first, which then triggers the tidal wave. Though the ocean is the primary threat in this incident, the Japanese islands themselves are dangerous and antagonistic. Buck portrays the volcanic eruption and the tidal wave with poetic prose that attempts to capture not only the fear and danger but also the awe-inspiring power of nature, writing, for example, “Deep under the deepest part of the ocean, miles under the still green waters, fires raged in the heart of the earth” (15). The repetition of “deep”/“deepest” conveys the immense scale of the natural world, while the personification of magma as “raging” underscores nature’s destructive potential. This power is capable of dragging the entire fishing village off the beach, effectively erasing any evidence that humans ever lived there at all and thus contributing to the theme of The Acceptance of Impermanence and Death.

In the face of the crisis, another major theme emerges: The Importance of Community. Community is an important aspect of many cultures, including traditional Japanese culture. The idea of community features in two equally important ways. First, the Old Gentleman invites the villagers to shelter in the safety of his castle walls—a traditional obligation for any old feudal family. This action demonstrates his generosity, but he also knows that the local community and the larger culture would judge him if he did not fulfill this obligation. Second, Kino’s father fulfills his communal obligations by taking the orphaned Jiya into his own home. Though this action is on a smaller scale than the Old Gentleman’s, it is no less important, particularly because the family’s poverty makes caring for another child a sacrifice.

With the retreat of the big wave, Jiya suffers the biggest trauma of his life: He witnesses the destruction of his home and the deaths of his entire family, and the shock and grief are so intense that he faints. This traumatic experience deeply impacts his character development through the rest of the narrative and colors his views on the rest of his life. The rest of the novella focuses largely on his grieving process and recovery, accomplished with the support of Kino’s family in a way that underscores the significance of familial and communal bonds.