Binula Illukpitiya

The Firefly Hunt & Red Cranes Analysis

In the passages The Firefly Hunt and Red Cranes, the author implements many
different tactics in order to develop the main character. Choys Red Cranes has its main
character developed through dialogue and the actions and expressions of other characters.
Junichiro Tanizakis The Firefly Hunt utilizes various literary devices such as symbolism and
uses adjectives which gives more depth to actions executed in the passage. These are the
elements he uses to develop the main character.
In Red Cranes, Mies interactions with other characters, namely her mother and father,
show both her age and personality traits. Through being ignored and not taken seriously by her
elders, she is shown to be young and nave. Her young age can be inferred due to many young
childrens words being ignored by their parents on serious issues and it can be inferred that she is
nave due to her plans for the future in contrast to what her mother thinks is best. In The Firefly
Hunt, Sachikos interactions with her peers show her character to be observant and optimistic.
She seems to be extremely observant due to seeing the small details of her surroundings whilst
her friends talk to her. She seems to be optimistic due to not giving up even though her friends
seem to have.
In both passages, the main characters thoughts are depicted to be comprehensive when
compared to what other characters may think. Mies thoughts and planning for a child are much
more complex than her parents may think. Sachiko, when compared to her peers, seems to have a
more thorough understanding of her surroundings. This presentation of the characters thoughts
gives the reader more insight to what the setting is like as well as gives more details to the plot.

At the end of the passage in Red Cranes, Mies situation hasnt changed but her state of
mind has been altered. Due to her now realizing what is expected of her future compared to what
she has planned, she is perplexed even though nothing has changed in her environment. On the
other hand, Sachiko, being already optimistic, has this character trait strengthened due to her
finally finding the fireflies and giving off the feeling that anything is possible.
In conclusion, both Red Cranes and The Firefly Hunt are excellent examples of how
a character is developed through the author utilizing many different literary tactics. This
development gives more insight to the reader on the plot as well as gives more depth to each
aspect of the story.