Tarumi's Garden Quotes

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Havens of Captivation
Throughout the course of his stay in the pulchritudinous village of Tarumi, the main protagonist, Stephen, eventually finds it burdensome when he is forced to return back to his family in the chaotic city of Hong Kong due to several facets that deepen not only his understanding of others, but also his appreciation of the gift of life itself. The Samurai’s Garden is an alluring novel written by Gail Tsukiyama, which focuses on a young, Chinese man’s personal experience in a placid village located in Japan. Stephen, who sojourns in Tarumi in order to preclude the prospect of infecting his sister, Pie, with tuberculosis and to distance himself from the ongoing war between the two nations, quickly acclimatizes himself to the …show more content…

Firstly, one of the characteristics that renders Stephen’s departure arduous is the mollifying projection of Tarumi and the nearby gardens within its vicinity. During his sojourn in Tarumi, Stephen gradually comes to appreciate the seductiveness of Tarumi and the corresponding gardens, as they serve to temporarily hide his stress associated with the outside world beyond Tarumi. As soon as Stephen enters Tarumi, he immediately appeals to the quietude of the area when he utters, “‘Even the light is revealing; you can’t miss the smallest nuance, the slightest sound. It’s as if the world were concentrated into just these small rooms.’” (Tsukiyama 20) In this depiction, Tarumi is portrayed as an area of silence, which makes the hectic atmosphere of Hong Kong and the outside world gradually fade away from Stephen’s concern due to the vast opportunities of self-contemplation that Tarumi provides. This meditation consequently deepens Stephen’s admiration of the gift of human life and gives him a moment to question the true importance of life; as a result, Stephen gradually becomes acclimated to the peacefulness of Tarumi and jaded to the purposeless concerns of everyday life present in large, materialistic societies. Furthermore, Stephen finds the beauty and tranquility of Matsu’s garden in particular to be highly irresistible. From the moment he enters Matsu’s garden for the first time, “‘the sweet perfumes [are]

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