Snow Country

Snow Country Irony

Komako Chooses to See Shimamura Off

Even though Komako chooses to see Shimamura off to the train at the end of Part 1 instead of going to Yukio's deathbed, her willfulness in choosing displeases Shimamura almost to the point of feeling revulsion for her, due to his emotional identification with Yukio.

Yoko's Insanity

Even though Shimamura perceives Yoko as an almost perfect sort of young woman whose voice and gaze especially possess unusual clearness, he discovers that internally she is tormented and quite possible mentally unstable.

Shimamura's Expertise in Occidental Ballet

Shimamura is a recognized expert on occidental ballet, but all his knowledge of his field comes from books he has read and photographs he has seen. In fact, he finds it much more interesting and liberating to think about ballet without being restricted by having actually seen one.

"You're a Good Woman"

Even though Shimamura means well by telling Komako, "You're a good woman," the subtle contrast between that and what he had said earlier, "You're a good girl," makes the limits of his intimacy and emotional understanding of her clear to her, sending her into a terrible fit.