Jacey Choy and Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, authors of “Red Cranes” and “The Firefly Hunt,” respectively, both write about characters similar in age, personality, and culture; however, the authors take different approaches in developing and presenting their characters to the reader. While their characters share a youthful, energetic, and curious personality, Choy and Tanizaki use several different methods to develop such characters over the course of their stories. While Choy uses Mie’s interactions with supporting characters to develop Mie’s characters, Tanizaki instead focuses on Sachiko’s feelings, worries, and thoughts.
In “Red Cranes,” Choy’s description of Mie’s interactions with her father and mother form the basis of her character development. …show more content…
Tanizaki devotes much of the story to elaborately describing the setting of the story in order to help the reader understand how Sachiko’s feelings are influenced by the setting. For example, Tanizaki describes the darkness of the scene by saying how “A bridge was still dimly visible a hundred yards or so ahead,” and then continuing on to describe the fireflies as “dark” and “dreamy.” This setting prompts Sachiko to think about the gracefulness and frailty of the fireflies as they dance through the night, which shows that, similar to Mie, Sachiko is also youthful and curious in her thoughts. Furthermore, Tanizaki’s description of the feelings evoked in Sachiko by the fireflies, such as the feeling of a “wild, romantic surge, as though she were joining them there,” exemplifies how entranced Sachiko was by the fireflies, which further emphasizes her curious and dreamy nature. In addition, Sachiko’s worries about not finding the fireflies shows how, like Mie, she is naive in her view of the world, given that she’s worried about something which most adults would not ever care about. Furthermore, Sachiko’s naivety is displayed during the hunt itself, seeing as she focuses on the beauty and enchantment of the hunt rather than any potential dangers that accompany a young girl’s journey into the woods during dusk. By describing Sachiko’s thoughts and feelings before, during, and after the firefly hunt, Tanizaki describes and develops Sachiko’s character to the
In “Red Cranes,” Choy’s description of Mie’s interactions with her father and mother form the basis of her character development. …show more content…
Tanizaki devotes much of the story to elaborately describing the setting of the story in order to help the reader understand how Sachiko’s feelings are influenced by the setting. For example, Tanizaki describes the darkness of the scene by saying how “A bridge was still dimly visible a hundred yards or so ahead,” and then continuing on to describe the fireflies as “dark” and “dreamy.” This setting prompts Sachiko to think about the gracefulness and frailty of the fireflies as they dance through the night, which shows that, similar to Mie, Sachiko is also youthful and curious in her thoughts. Furthermore, Tanizaki’s description of the feelings evoked in Sachiko by the fireflies, such as the feeling of a “wild, romantic surge, as though she were joining them there,” exemplifies how entranced Sachiko was by the fireflies, which further emphasizes her curious and dreamy nature. In addition, Sachiko’s worries about not finding the fireflies shows how, like Mie, she is naive in her view of the world, given that she’s worried about something which most adults would not ever care about. Furthermore, Sachiko’s naivety is displayed during the hunt itself, seeing as she focuses on the beauty and enchantment of the hunt rather than any potential dangers that accompany a young girl’s journey into the woods during dusk. By describing Sachiko’s thoughts and feelings before, during, and after the firefly hunt, Tanizaki describes and develops Sachiko’s character to the