The Journey Begins

Ever wondered how a single decision can change everything? This poem starts with a kamikaze pilot preparing for what should be his final mission. The repeated 's' sounds (sibilance) in the opening create a peaceful atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the violent purpose of his journey.

The sunrise isn't just about time - it's packed with meaning. It represents Japan itself (think of their flag) and suggests something divine, as if the pilot is meant to meet his maker. The word "embarked" deliberately connects to boats, foreshadowing how memories of his father's fishing boat will change everything.

Water and the samurai sword show the pilot's spiritual preparation. Water represents purity and baptism - he's cleansing himself before what should be his heroic death. The daughter telling this story creates an intellectual bond with her father by imagining his thoughts, even though he became "dead" to the family after his return.

Key insight: The schools of fish he sees below become symbols of the life he doesn't want to give up through suicide.

The Moment of Choice

Here's where everything changes - the fish below look "like a huge flag" moving in a figure of eight. This brilliant image works on multiple levels: the flag represents patriotism, but the figure eight symbolises infinity. At this crucial moment, the pilot imagines both eternal life as a hero and eternal death.

The figure of eight also physically represents his journey - flying out with intent to die, then turning back home. It's a perfect visual metaphor for his change of heart. The fish represent the life he chooses to preserve rather than destroy.

Biblical imagery runs throughout this section. The "loose silver of whitebait" connects to Judas's betrayal - thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus. The word "loose" suggests both the fish moving freely and loose morality, highlighting how his country will see his decision as betrayal.

The tuna as "dark prince" represents either Japan's royal family (who send men to die) or the pilot's own subversive act. His choice to live becomes "muscular" and "dangerous" - not cowardly, but actually requiring tremendous strength to face the consequences.

Cultural context: In wartime Japan, returning from a kamikaze mission brought incredible shame to entire families.

Living with the Consequences

The volta ("till gradually") marks a devastating shift in the poem. The children naturally loved and welcomed their father back - but they had to learn to be silent and treat him as if he didn't exist. This learned behaviour was completely unnatural, showing how cultural expectations can destroy family bonds.

The fact that it was "learned" behaviour suggests the daughter, now grown up, recognises how wrong this treatment was. She's breaking the cycle by telling her own children about their grandfather, giving them the relationship she never had.

"Which had been the better way to die" is the poem's most powerful line. The pilot faces two deaths - physical death as a hero, or emotional death as an outcast in his own family. He's lived for years but never been truly accepted back, creating a living death that might be worse than his original mission.

The poem's structure shows different generations talking - the daughter to her children, remembering her father's story. Beatrice Garland uses this to explore how countries and families recover from war. Sometimes it takes the next generation to heal the damage and change harmful cultural attitudes.

Universal theme: The poem asks whether personal survival is worth social death, and how families can break cycles of shame and silence.