Post by Hiba Rashid on Sept 8, 2015 17:21:49 GMT
At first, when I finished reading “Night Fires,” I wondered if that was all there is to the story. The characters led a simple adventure, with no major obstacles or conflict. This made me realize that the characters alone were not as significant as their existence in the environment around them. The nature in which they are enveloped is what gives this story context and a connection to Shinto values. The people throughout this story are close to nature and do not harm it in any way. Therefore, they are protected by it.
K-san’s strange experience really captures that connection to Shintoism. It begins with “when he reached the second of the two Shinto gates that marked the entrance to the holy mountain” (p.59). For me, his literal entrance through the Shinto gates and the reference to the mountain as holy is significant. It was as if he would be guarded throughout his journey on this holy mountain, regardless of the snowy weather. He would be guarded by the kami (gods or spirits) found in nature. Drowsiness overcame K-san and he knew it was the first potential sign leading to death. But, he had just enough strength to make it up the mountain and see the light of the lanterns. When K-san finds out that his mother had sent his brother-in-law and other men to rescue him, he believed that his mother somehow heard his call for help. I believe that the kami were at work in two ways – first, they gave K-san just enough strength to reach the top of the mountain and second, they conveyed his call for help to his mother, just as he felt the drowsiness. This experience is important to the story because it expresses the strength of kami, in even the most extreme situations. Having this episode inserted creates a bigger impact in explaining the importance of Shintoism.
Discussion Question: What do the bonfires in this story symbolize? What connection (if any) do the fires have to Shintoism?
K-san’s strange experience really captures that connection to Shintoism. It begins with “when he reached the second of the two Shinto gates that marked the entrance to the holy mountain” (p.59). For me, his literal entrance through the Shinto gates and the reference to the mountain as holy is significant. It was as if he would be guarded throughout his journey on this holy mountain, regardless of the snowy weather. He would be guarded by the kami (gods or spirits) found in nature. Drowsiness overcame K-san and he knew it was the first potential sign leading to death. But, he had just enough strength to make it up the mountain and see the light of the lanterns. When K-san finds out that his mother had sent his brother-in-law and other men to rescue him, he believed that his mother somehow heard his call for help. I believe that the kami were at work in two ways – first, they gave K-san just enough strength to reach the top of the mountain and second, they conveyed his call for help to his mother, just as he felt the drowsiness. This experience is important to the story because it expresses the strength of kami, in even the most extreme situations. Having this episode inserted creates a bigger impact in explaining the importance of Shintoism.
Discussion Question: What do the bonfires in this story symbolize? What connection (if any) do the fires have to Shintoism?