Jodi Picoult once said, “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not” (Quotes About Love). Unfortunately, many people in this world do not see life that way and only accept what is deemed perfect by society. As a result, many people and objects are overlooked even though they are special. “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” by Yasunari Kawabata uses the symbols of a grasshopper and a bell cricket to reveal its theme- that not everything is as it seems.
In Japanese culture, the bell cricket is widely considered a better singer than the typical grasshopper. In fact, according to The Japan Times in an article by Rowan Hooper published on March 25, 2004 “The sound of the bell cricket is said to signify the voice of Buddha” (Bell Cricket). As a result of this, it is inherent that bell crickets produce very beautiful music. In addition, no single male bell cricket makes the exact same sound, meaning each one is entirely unique. As a result, many people, especially children, attempt to catch the bell cricket. Doing so is no easy feat as “there are not many bell crickets in the world” (Kawabata 269). “‘Oh! It’s not a grasshopper. It’s a bell cricket.’ The girl’s eyes shone as she looked at the small brown insect” (Kawabata 268). The previous excerpt shows what a rare and exciting experience it is to catch a bell cricket. On the contrary, the grasshopper is…show more content… On the other hand, “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” by Yasunari Kawabata shows us that not every bell cricket is special and not every grasshopper is ordinary. This message is illustrated through the two primary symbols in this story, a grasshopper and a bell cricket. Additionally, these two symbols show the reader the theme of the story- how everything is not always as it seems. Realizing this fact about life is necessary in order to avoid becoming grasshoppers in the garden of
