35 pages • 1 hour read
Pearl S. BuckThe Big Wave
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1947A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Acceptance of Impermanence and Death
The novella’s attitude toward life’s impermanence is best explained by Kino’s father, whose conversations with Kino reveal the work’s philosophical underpinnings. As Kino’s father explains, death and loss are inherent qualities of existence that one must accept to fully appreciate life, face death with bravery, and heal from trauma.
Though the novel does not say so explicitly, this belief stems partly from Buddhism, which argues that all existence is impermanent, and death is merely one step in the process of living. Though Buddhism originated in India, it spread quickly to China and arrived in Japan around the 6th century CE, where it blended with the native religious tradition of Shinto. Japanese Zen Buddhism is particularly typified by its stoicism and acceptance of death, which is why the novella associates this attitude with Japan specifically. For example, Kino’s father argues that the islands of Japan are inherently dangerous and antagonistic, meaning that death can occur at any moment. The Japanese people have learned to face this with stoic bravery by accepting impermanence and death as natural aspects of their lives.
The novella uses Jiya’s character development to typify this attitude. Learning to accept change and death is a large part of his healing process. He must “learn to live with [his family] dead” just as he lived with them alive (25). Once he can “accept their death as part of his life” (25), he is able to heal. Jiya’s decision to return to fishing and rebuild on the beach is proof that he has done so. The other fishermen who rebuild on the beach have likewise accepted that big waves come and go and that they must continue to rebuild as their ancestors did before them.
Crucially, this inherent impermanence moves in both directions. Just as death and destruction can arrive without warning, they also eventually leave, giving way to sunshine and joy again. Accepting this is what makes the Japanese people both brave and fortunate, according to Kino’s father, who concludes that the Japanese “love life because [they] live in danger. [They] do not fear death because [they] understand that life and death are necessary to each other” (32). Like the overall novella, this quote suggests that life is more valuable when one understands how fleeting it is.
The Importance of Community
While community is an important aspect of many cultures, it is especially revered in Japanese society. The Japanese language includes two words that demonstrate this: shakai and seken. Shakai is a more modern word, added to the lexicon after the Japanese encountered Western culture. This word primarily represents the Western idea of “society” as a formalized group organized by a set of laws and institutions. Seken, on the other hand, is an ancient word that refers to the social world defined by human relationships. This word implies conformity within groups and more fully encapsulates the Japanese ethos of community before all else. Every individual is obligated to heed the needs and values of the community, as well as the relationships that make up that community. In The Big Wave, Buck stresses the importance of community by revealing how it functions in a time of crisis.
This emphasis on community manifests in several ways. First, the Old Gentleman fulfills his obligations to the community as a wealthy member of an old feudal family by sheltering the villagers when they need protection. Even after the tidal wave has passed, he continues to house the survivors, provides financial support to widows and orphans, and offers to adopt Jiya. While these actions come from a place of compassion and generosity, there is also an underlying obligation to the community. He would be judged by both the locals and the larger society if he failed to fulfill these obligations.
This sense of communal support also appears in Kino’s father’s wish to adopt Jiya. Though he clearly cares for Jiya and comes to love him as his own, he is also motivated by a deep belief that the community is obligated to care for its own—particularly those who have suffered great loss. Kino’s family is a poor farming family and has neither the capacity nor the obligation to support the community as the Old Gentleman does. Instead, they help on a scale they are capable of by taking in orphaned Jiya.
Significantly, an individual’s obligation to the community is counterbalanced by the support the community offers in turn. This is most apparent in Jiya himself. The support he receives from the whole community forms a large part of his healing process. Not only does Kino’s father adopt him and give him a family, but Kino’s mother treats him with gentle compassion, and Kino’s sister teaches him to feel joy again. Additionally, the larger community of the fishing village renews Jiya’s sense of purpose and inspires him to face the ocean again. Thus, the novella shows how strong communal bonds facilitate survival in desperate times.
The Power of Resilience
The novella’s plot means that grief and trauma feature prominently, but so too does the process of healing. Kino’s father encapsulates the novella’s ethos when he states that “life is stronger than death” (30). Without denying the reality of suffering, The Big Wave suggests that resilience is all but inevitably more powerful.
Just after the big wave destroys the village and Jiya collapses in grief, Kino’s father describes the grieving process, explaining to his son that Jiya will likely cry and grieve for a long time. Eventually, he will begin to enjoy small things again, like a good meal, and finally, he will learn to accept the deaths of his family and begin to live again. The two previous themes are important aspects of this process. Jiya must learn to accept impermanence and death as natural parts of existence to face the pain with a sense of balance. Additionally, Kino’s family must treat Jiya with patience and care while he grieves, which demonstrates the power of communal support in healing.
In the end, Jiya fully demonstrates resilience in the way he lives his life. Though he is forever changed by the big wave and the trauma of losing his family, he uses that experience to become a kind and gentle man. He learns to live and laugh again, thanks in part to the support of Setsu. Finally, echoing the wisdom of Kino’s father, Jiya argues that the Japanese people must be brave and accept the danger they live with. To this end, he builds his house facing the ocean so that he can be ready if another big wave comes. He is determined to face the danger and be prepared rather than afraid.
Likewise, the entire community demonstrates similar resilience when the fishermen rebuild on the beach. They are determined to reclaim their homes on the beach and their livelihoods on the ocean. They accept that the big wave may come again, just as it came in their fathers’ time and their grandfathers’ time. Instead of hiding from this inevitability, they will simply rebuild again and again as often as needed. Once again, the acceptance of impermanence and death is the first step to recovery and resilience.
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By Pearl S. Buck
