Literary analysis on Grave of the Fireflies.

Grave of the Fireflies is a tragic story of the struggle for survival of a teenage boy and his younger sister during World War II. The writer tries to convey an anti-war message through the use of the disturbing images of the aftermath of the war. However, he uses metaphors to illustrate to us the central theme of hope throughout the story, in order to lead the readers on.


The writer uses metaphors to illustrate to us the central theme of hope in between segments of the story to keep the readers in suspense and lead us on. The symbol of the fireflies, which appears every time when Seita and Setsuko are feeling lost and in despair, are like a beacon of hope that guides them through their darkest times. Through the fireflies, the readers are being shaken back into reality, as "Why do fireflies die so soon?" illustrates to us the lost of guidance and hope when Setsuko crash the firefly in her hands. It is also a juxtaposition of the lost of their mother and we are constantly being reminded of how transience life is.


The writer uses metaphors to illustrate to us the theme of warmth throughout the story. The symbol of the candy tin is like an emotional support for Setsuko, as when ever she was feeling down and was being reminded of her mother, Seita gives her a drop of candy to calm her down. Through this, we are able to see how Seita transform from a brotherly figure to a motherly figure. Even when there wasn't any candy left, Setsuko was contented to even drink from the tin, as "It taste like mix fruits", which illustrates to us despite the ups and downs, what kept her going was the warmth back home she felt every time she tasted the candy . Upon the death of Setsuko, Seita took the candy tin and put the last bit of ash in it, which illustrates to us the bond between him and his sister, as now the candy tin was the last memory of her.


The writer uses flashback to act as constant reminder of the pain of the lost of a love one. The flashback of Seita's mother when ever he was feeling lost and in despair was the one that kept him going. However, when Setsuko told him that "Mother is dead. She's in a tomb", he finally breakdown. Through this, we are able to see how emotionally fragile Seita actually is, as he has been putting on a brave front for his sister. The writer uses the flashback to act as a palimpsest to let us be reminded of the faded past which can't be erased and to let the reader get the catharsis effect of feeling the pain of the lost of a love one.


The true colours of family members are being shown, during wartime, in the fight for survival. Seita's aunt only care about her immediate family members, as she has "traded everything for food. Even mother's kimono." but only gave Seita and Setsuko brown soup for dinner, while her family has radish. Through this, the writer tries to illustrate to us a dog-eat-dog society of wartime.


It was the pride and ego of Seita that led to his sister's death. Seita, being "a naval officer's son", doesn't want to be looked down upon and disappoint others, as others want him to "have courage" like his father. Despite, the constant reminder from his aunt to look for a job, Seita chooses not to and left his aunt's place, thinking that he and his sister was able to survive. However, when the their food ran out, they resort to stealing tomatoes and eating frogs. Through this, the readers are being shock at how cruel life was, as we are being drawn back to reality.


In conclusion, the writer tries to convey an anti-war message through the use of the disturbing images of the aftermath of the war. Similar to "The Spirits Play" by Kuo Pao Kun, Grave of the fireflies is use to illustrate to us how the japanese too had suffered during World War II, as the innocence in Japan didn't know what was happening to the other countries out there too. However, in my opinion, it was still rather ironical, as Japan was the one who started the war and caused their people to suffer the way they did to others.