The “stranger” in Sailor who fell from grace with the sea and Wonderful FoolThe sailor who fell from grace with the sea Wonderful Fool In the character design of a In the novel, often an author includes a character who is outside of accepted society. This marginal character often finds himself at a disadvantage. The simple fact that he is unfamiliar with his society tends to create problems that the character must resolve. After resolving these issues, the character leaves a lasting effect on at least one other character, both of whom have changed drastically due to the alien's influence. In Yukio Mishima's novel The Sailor Who Fell Out of Grace with the Sea, the character Ryuji Tsukazaki fulfilled this role. Ryuji is a very accomplished sailor who, after beginning his life on earth, feels uneasy and uncomfortable with his surroundings. In fact, throughout the novel, the reader is informed of his desire to live at sea and his favorite song, "I Can't Give Up the Sailor's Life" (Mishima 17). Ryuji, who “had been guided by an antipathy for the land” to become a sailor, finds himself in many uncomfortable positions throughout his life on land, notably in the winter after returning to Fusako and Noboru (Mishima 15). Ryuji, unable to find companionship and acceptance on sea or land, feels empty and isolated. As a young man, Ryuji experienced many tragedies growing up. The deaths of his father, mother and sister gave him a bitter taste of earthly life. He found it difficult to feel comfortable and comfortable on land, “his only memories of life on land were those of poverty, disease and death, of endless devastation; by becoming a sailor, he had detached himself from the earth forever" (.. .... middle of paper ......ture of their company, Takamori and Tomoe finally realized that Gaston, truly a "enigma", turned out to be indeed a "wonderful fool" (Endo 52, 180).The foreign character in both novels finds himself at odds with his surroundings Although the plot is different in the two novels. , some similarities between the two characters still exist. Both had to evoke a lot of inner strength to overcome their difficulties, both struggled internally and externally with their predicament, and most importantly, both left a lasting impact on the characters. involved in the plot, Gaston Bonaparte and Ryuji Tsukazaki, will certainly remain two of the most influential "foreign" characters in modern literature. sea, New York, Vintage International, 1993.