26 pages • 52-minute read
The Grasshopper and the Bell-Cricket
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Character Analysis
The Narrator
The entire story is told from the point of view of the nameless first-person narrator, who is an adult observing the play of children. Though his gender is not explicitly stated, his identification with the boy Fujio at the end of the story suggests that he is a man. All his characterization comes through his observation of the children, and there are no descriptions of his appearance or identifying details about his life. This anonymity reinforces his sense of himself as an observer—one who stands far on the other side of the threshold Fujio and Kiyoko reach at the end of this story, and whose life now consists of seeing and understanding the lives of others.
The narrator is a round character, sharing his complex interpretations of the scene. His subjective opinions permeate the story and vacillate between joyful enthusiasm and inevitable disappointment. He is enthusiastic about the scene he witnesses, and his voice and physical movement emulate childish tones and reflexes: “My eyes gleaming at what they saw up ahead, I hurried forward with short steps” (Paragraph 1). As he watches the interaction between Fujio and Kiyoko, he concludes that eventually Fujio will face disappointment that will confuse his understanding of what is true and authentic and what is merely illusion. The narrator feels sadness that Fujio is unable to understand the purity of the interaction he has shared with Kiyoko: “I will think it a pity that you have no way to remember tonight’s play of light” (Paragraph 20).
Fujio and Kiyoko
When these characters are first introduced, they are identified simply as “a boy” and “a girl.” The boy finds what he believes to be a grasshopper and offers it to the group of children as a whole, simply yelling, “Does anyone want a grasshopper?” (Paragraph 5). Groups of children gather toward him eagerly, shouting that they do want the grasshopper, yet the boy seems to ignore them and continues calling out, offering the grasshopper until finally, a specific girl goes to him. Once she arrives, he eagerly offers her the gift, placing it in her hand. When the girl reveals that it’s not a grasshopper but a bell cricket, the boy takes the opportunity of looking at the cricket at eye level to also quickly glance at the girl’s face.
At that moment, the narrator understands the boy’s true motivation: In accepting the gift, the girl is also accepting and reciprocating Fujio’s love for her, and the patient, skillful way in which they transfer the cricket from his hands to hers marks their mutual transition from childhood to adolescence. Once this is accomplished, the reader learns their names along with the narrator, as each child’s name is carved into their lantern and thus engraved in light on the other child’s body.
The illumination of their true identity is both figurative and literal. Fujio’s name, unseen by anyone but the narrator, shines through his lantern in greenish light onto the girl’s breast, as hers shines on his waist. Previously anonymous and indistinguishable from the other children (from the narrator’s perspective), Fujio and Kiyoko become unique through their actions and through the other’s appreciative gaze.
The Children
The rest of the children in the story are nameless but play the role of a chorus, participating in the plot and validating its symbolic meaning. They are literally identified as such: “‘It’s a bell cricket! It’s a bell cricket!’ The children echoed in an envious chorus” (Paragraph 11). They are ascribed a musical quality (much like the bell cricket), a sound of beauty and artistry, as well as a state of flow. Unlike the chorus of adult society, which prizes conformity, the child chorus remains pure and values authenticity above all else.
The narrator recognizes the state of individualism and authenticity innate in the children. He admires it, takes pleasure in it, and praises it. He likens the presence of the children’s lanterns on the embankment to “a festival in a remote country village” (Paragraph 11). The lanterns are symbolic of each child’s inner light. The association of a festival deems the inner light, the authentic self, as worthy of celebration. The narrator's description of it as remote indicates his own distancing from that light as he moved away from the individualism of childhood and conformed as an adult. The narrator’s placement of the festival in a country village indicates a state of nature and simplicity, suggesting that children are still connected to what is real, true, and beautiful. The plot revolves around the children’s mission to find grasshoppers. The children hear the song of the insects and are drawn to it. They are still in touch and in tune with the music of the natural world, and their title as a chorus illustrates their ability not only to hear the music but also to sing back in unison.
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