The lighthouse-keeper’s wife is a kind, warm, and chatty woman who is devoted to her family. Though she is occasionally sucked in by gossip, rumor, and any whiff of a scandal, she ultimately has a strong moral compass and a deep sense of responsibility to her community. The lighthouse-keeper and his wife both adore Shinji, who brings them fish every evening after coming in from the ocean as an attempt to repay them for doing him a large favor related to helping him graduate from high school on time. When Shinji is in trouble because of a rumor about him and Hatsue, the daughter of the wealthy and powerful Terukichi Miyata, the lighthouse-keeper’s wife learns that her daughter Chiyoko is responsible for the devastating rumor. The lighthouse-keeper’s wife then takes it upon herself to confront the intimidating Terukichi and repair the damage her daughter has done—in the process, she winds up involving many of the village women in a dialogue about the control Terukichi wields over their entire community. The lighthouse-keeper’s wife proves herself to be deeper and more thoughtful than she appears to be on the surface by resisting the undertow of gossip and rumor and pivoting to a focus on righting the wrongs in her community.
The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife Quotes in The Sound of Waves
The The Sound of Waves quotes below are all either spoken by The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife or refer to The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
“When Shinji did that great thing at Okinawa—well, I changed my mind too and decided he was the one for my girl. The only thing that really counts . . .”
Here Terukichi raised his voice emphatically.
“The only thing that really counts in a man is his get-up-and-go. If he’s got get-up-and-go he’s a real man, and those are the kind of men we need here on Uta-jima.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife Quotes in The Sound of Waves
The The Sound of Waves quotes below are all either spoken by The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife or refer to The Lighthouse-keeper’s Wife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
“When Shinji did that great thing at Okinawa—well, I changed my mind too and decided he was the one for my girl. The only thing that really counts . . .”
Here Terukichi raised his voice emphatically.
“The only thing that really counts in a man is his get-up-and-go. If he’s got get-up-and-go he’s a real man, and those are the kind of men we need here on Uta-jima.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
