In The Sound of Waves, Yukio Mishima creates an exquisite story that has strong idealistic and mythical characteristics. Although Mishima writes about young love and tranquility in The Sound of Waves, his later works are classified as aggressive and containing violent sexual actions. Even Mishima himself referred to The Sound of Waves as "that great public joke" (qtd. in Ishiguro 385). However, one cannot compare this novel to Mishima's other literary pieces; to classify it as romanticized, one must evaluate the use of imagery, an idealized setting, mythical allusions, and characterizations that establish the romanticism-driven qualities in The Sound of Waves. It is evident that nature plays an important role in all The Sound. of Waves, as the reader would expect from a novel based on Japan. The reader is first introduced to Shinji at the “stone stairway” with “the flowers of peace blooming in the shrine garden, dark and shrouded in twilight” (Mishima 6). Mishima's use of nature helps reinforce the purity of the love between Shinji and Hatsue. At their first meeting, "the sea beneath them [fills] with a last glow" (50) and "the stars [begin] to shine" (51). Hatsue's kiss is even compared to seaweed and the “fresh, pungent salt” (67) of the sea; these symbols highlight a parallel between romance and romanticism. Mishima also creates the aspect of nature related to emotions and often references weather imagery to convey Shinji's thoughts and emotions. In particular, when Shinji sees Hatsue naked at the observation tower. During their meeting, a storm is brewing and the waves “toss and tear…” (70); this mirrors Shinji's sexual tension. According to Napier, "the language of this passage implies... half the paper..., the reader can conclude that Mishima has created a novel, which contains idealized and mythical features, which emphasize the love story between Shinji and Hatsue. Mishima develops a relationship between nature and romance, creates an idealized setting, and gives heroic traits to nature and Shinji Overall, The Sound of Waves contains several unrealistic, yet hopeful events, such as nature saving Hatsue from being raped so it can; classify this novel as fictional. Works Cited1, Yukio The Sound of Waves Trans: AA Knopf, 1956. Print.2 Realism by Mishima Yukio and Oe Kenzaburo. Cambridge Mass.: Council on East Asian Studies Harvard U, 1991. Print.3, Philip. “Everyone in Japan Has Heard of Him,” NY Times Web. May 26 2014.