Floating Clouds (Novel)

"Floating Clouds" is a post-war Japanese melodramatic novel which focuses on the relationship between two characters, Yukiko and Tomioka. At the start of the novel Yukiko has arrived back in Japan after working in Indo-China as a secretary and seeks to reunite with her former lover Tomioka. Their affair in Da Lat was meaningful to them both, and is seen as an escape from the bleak postwar setting of Tokyo, however, Tomioka refuses to be with Yukiko and continually plays games with her, sees other women, and disrespects her.

One of the foremost melodramatic themes throughout the novel is time. In melodrama, time, or specifically being "too late" or "too early" adds tension. Often there are situations when characters discover harsh truths, or things they aren't supposed to know because they are too early or too late. In the novel, after engaging in a sexual affair with Seiko, Tomioka and Yukiko go to bathe the next morning. Unbeknownst to Tomioka, his clothes had been neatly folded in a carrying cloth the night before by Seiko. Because Yukiko finished bathing first she had a chance to notice these clothes, Hayashi writes, "Yukiko quickly finished and left the bath. When she went to the hamper to find her discarded clothing, she saw that Tomioka's things in the hamper next to hers had,  during the last few inutes, been wrapped in a blue carrying cloth." (142). After questioning Tomioka Yukiko "felt a pang at her heart... (she) tried to tell herself that he often tried to get away with this sort of thing and that it was her fault for losing sight of that fact." (143).
"Floating Clouds" continually refers to their affair in the past as a tragedy. Yukiko and Tomioka met too early, as Tomioka was still married and they would both be returning to Japan after the war. When the two finally accept their feeling for each other it is too late as Yukiko passes away from Tuberculosis.

(above: poem written by Hayashi Fumiko detailing the fragility and sparseness of life - written on a literary monument dedicated to her)

"Floating Clouds" connects the feeling of post-war depression and hopelessness to male characters who pity themselves as victims over women. There is an excess of emotion in righteousness around Tomioka and Iba especially who believe women have it easy. There is something to be said about the characters' masculinity in an era where their country has admitted defeat.
Tomioka believes that he is doing Yukiko a favor by refusing to be with her, while he strings along other women, which turns out to be an empty gesture as it only causes Yukiko more grief. Iba takes in Yukiko when she is at her lowest however his past sexual assaults destroy any chance of his actions being seen as any sort of humane gesture.

The novel and the film relate the story in different ways that can be seen as more or less melodramatic. The film focuses highly on the characters and their relationship with one another on a personal level, whereas the novel seems to depict the characters relationship within post-war society.
The novel for that reason strikes me as more tragic, however I think the film, along with its ability to show more nuanced emotions, and facial expressions, is more melodramatic.