48 pages • 1 hour read
Erik Christian HaugaardThe Samurai's Tale
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1984A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Names
In the status-conscious society of feudal Japan, names are an important symbol of rank. Battlefield glory can bring fame to one’s name; lords need male heirs to carry on their names; and samurai who bring shame to their names are expected to commit ritual suicide. Thus, names connect strongly with the themes of Rites of Passage in a Warrior Culture and The Development of Personal Honor and Integrity.
Harutomo’s name changes when his family is killed and he is stripped of his status and again when he is recognized as an adult. These changes are important to him because he starts with the name of a samurai family but is then forced to accept a servant’s name. He later receives a name that shows he has again achieved status. His final name, Murakami Harutomo, combines his family name (Murakami) with the nickname and family name of Lord Akiyama. This is an honor for Harutomo because it shows that he has the respect of the lord he serves.
Akiyama feels growing affection for Harutomo, and he serves as one of Harutomo’s father figures. Near the end of the novel, he acknowledges that he thought about adopting Harutomo. It may seem ironic that Harutomo is proud to bear the name of a military leader whose army killed his family, but the characters in the novel don’t seem to it this way. Death in war is a fact of life for the samurai, and Harutomo is loyal to his master.
Caring for Horses
The way Harutomo cares for horses is a motif that connects to the theme of The Development of Personal Honor and Integrity. In medieval Japan, horses were important tools for transportation and warfare. While his peers see horses as tools, Harutomo shows empathy for the animals in a way that reflects respect for other living beings.
Understanding horses’ needs pays dividends for Harutomo and shows his humanity. For example, early in his time as a stable hand, he shows the ability to calm horses and work with them effectively. He helps a bully retrieve a horse, and when the bully harms the horse to cause trouble for him, Harutomo (then called Taro) attacks him. The reader can infer that he beats the bully in part for hurting the horse, and this fight helps him move up in the esteem of his fellow stable hands. When he later fights the ronin, who outmatches him in both experience and armor, Harutomo wins largely because he understands how the man’s horse will react when he scares it and cuts its reins. Much later, when he crafts a plan to help his men survive the suicidal attack on Iwamura Castle, Harutomo “let his own horse wander off, hoping that it would be safe without a rider” (151). This concern for an animal when his life is in danger shows he shed the selfishness of his younger years. Near the end of the novel, when he arrives in Kofuchu with a desperate plea for help from Katsuyori, he says that he “took the time to rub down” his horse, whom he describes as a “poor beast” (218).
Taking Heads
Harutomo’s reaction to the practice of cutting off enemies’ heads connects this motif to the theme of The Development of Personal Honor and Integrity. Characters in the novel accept that samurai will cut off the head of a defeated enemy and bring it to their master. It is a way to prove victory in battle, for which a warrior will be rewarded. Even those whose heads are cut off, such as the ronin Hanagata Minbu, are comfortable with decapitation because it is a sign that they died bravely.
Harutomo is never comfortable with this practice, however. Near the beginning of the novel, after his family is killed, a sadistic soldier forces him to bow to severed heads displayed at the entrance to Takeda Castle. Thereafter, he associates taking heads with the cruelty of war. He suspects his father’s head was taken after he was killed, and he says he doesn’t want the head of the ronin Minbu because Minbu is not his enemy. He expresses discomfort when one of the archers on his side takes the head of a fallen samurai during Akiyama’s battle to conquer Iwamura Castle, and near the end of the novel he sees that the vicious Lord Oda has displayed the heads of Lady Akiyama and many of her female servants.
Harutomo’s reaction to taking heads helps develop his character as a warrior who is opposed to unnecessary cruelty. His society is a warrior culture and being a samurai is his dream. Furthermore, his place in the military provides him with status. However, as a war orphan who grows up to be a thoughtful, caring soldier, he recognizes the horrors of war even as he participates in it. His efforts focus on protecting his men rather than killing others. He is not opposed to war, but he expresses reservations about burning villages and taking heads. These perspectives are not the norm in his society, and they show that Harutomo retains his sense of integrity amid social pressures to conform.
