The First Note Appears

A nameless fourteen-year-old boy, ostracized and bullied at school for his lazy eye, finds a cryptic note in his pencil case: "We should be friends." The note, unsigned and written in delicate handwriting, becomes the first in a series of secret messages. The boy, called "Eyes" by his tormentors, is both anxious and comforted by these notes, which ask simple, human questions. Despite the daily violence and humiliation from classmates like Ninomiya, the notes become a small ritual, a fragile hope in his otherwise bleak routine. The boy's home life is equally muted, with a distant mother and an absent father, deepening his sense of isolation. The notes, however, spark a cautious curiosity—could someone see him as more than a target?

Whale Park Meeting

The notes culminate in an invitation to meet after school at Whale Park, a neglected playground. Expecting a trap, the boy is surprised to find Kojima, a quiet, disheveled girl from his class who is also bullied. She confesses to writing the notes, seeking connection with someone who understands her pain. Their awkward conversation marks the beginning of a secret friendship, built on mutual recognition of suffering. Kojima's resilience and warmth contrast with her public persona as "Hazmat," the class's other outcast. The two agree to continue exchanging letters, forging a bond that offers both solace and a sense of being seen.

Letters in Hiding

The boy and Kojima begin a clandestine exchange of letters, never mentioning their shared torment. Their notes, hidden in desks and read in bathrooms, become a lifeline. Through these letters, they share hobbies, dreams, and small joys, creating a private world untouched by the cruelty around them. The act of writing becomes therapeutic, allowing them to articulate feelings they cannot express aloud. Their friendship grows, but always in the shadows, as both fear the consequences of being discovered. The letters are a testament to their resilience and a quiet rebellion against the roles forced upon them.

Shared Pain, Silent Witness

As their friendship deepens, the boy becomes increasingly aware of Kojima's suffering at the hands of their classmates. He is haunted by his inability to intervene, just as she is forced to watch his own humiliations. Their pain is mirrored and magnified by their helplessness, yet their letters remain a space of hope. The chorus competition and other school events provide more opportunities for bullying, but also moments of silent solidarity. The boy's lazy eye becomes a symbol of his difference, while Kojima's "signs"—her unkempt appearance and poverty—mark her as an outsider. Together, they navigate a world that refuses to see their humanity.

Signs and Scissors

Kojima reveals a secret: she has been making small, precise cuts in classroom objects, a compulsion that makes her feel "normal" amid chaos. Cutting is not about destruction, but about asserting control and creating a sense of order. She confides that her signs—her dirty clothes, her refusal to conform—are ways of holding onto her past and her father, who left after her parents' divorce. The boy listens, offering understanding rather than judgment. Their conversation about pain, normalcy, and the meaning of their "signs" deepens their connection, highlighting the ways trauma shapes identity.

Summer's Brief Escape

At the start of summer vacation, Kojima invites the boy on an outing to an art museum she calls "Heaven." The day is filled with nervous excitement, laughter, and moments of genuine happiness. In the museum, Kojima shows him a painting she has renamed "Heaven"—a room where two lovers, after enduring pain, find peace. The outing is a rare respite from their daily suffering, but even in this sanctuary, Kojima is overcome by emotion, crying silently on a bench. The boy offers her his hair to cut, a gesture of trust and solidarity. The day ends with a sense of bittersweet hope, as they return to the reality of their lives.

The Art Museum's Heaven

The painting "Heaven" becomes a symbol for the world Kojima and the boy long for—a place where pain is transformed into harmony. Kojima's interpretation of the painting reflects her belief that suffering can have meaning, that endurance leads to a kind of grace. The museum visit is a turning point, reinforcing their bond and their shared desire to find beauty amid ugliness. Yet, the outside world remains unchanged, and the return to school looms as an inevitable end to their brief escape.

The Return of Violence

As summer ends, the boy fantasizes about a world where the bullying has stopped, but reality is harsher. The violence intensifies, culminating in a sadistic game in the gymnasium where he is physically assaulted and humiliated by Ninomiya and his friends. Kojima, too, is subjected to increasing cruelty. The boy's sense of powerlessness deepens, and he contemplates suicide, haunted by news stories of other bullied children who have taken their own lives. The letters with Kojima become his only source of comfort, but even these are threatened by the relentless hostility of their environment.

Momose's Philosophy

After a particularly brutal episode, the boy confronts Momose, Ninomiya's enigmatic friend, outside of school. In a conversation that is both philosophical and disturbing, Momose articulates a worldview devoid of empathy or morality. He insists that people act only on their desires, that there is no inherent meaning or justice, and that the strong will always dominate the weak. The boy is shaken by this nihilism, struggling to reconcile it with Kojima's belief in the meaning of suffering. The encounter leaves him questioning the possibility of change or redemption.

Kojima's Confession

Kojima shares more of her family history, explaining how her "signs" are a way of preserving her connection to her father and her own sense of self. She believes that embracing weakness is a form of strength, a way of resisting the cruelty of the world. For Kojima, suffering is not meaningless; it is a badge of honor, a testament to survival. The boy is moved by her conviction but also troubled by the burden it places on them both. Their friendship is tested as they grapple with the implications of their choices.

The Gymnasium Ordeal

The bullying reaches a climax when the boy is forced to participate in a degrading "human soccer" game in the gymnasium. He is beaten, bloodied, and left to clean up his own blood, with Kojima silently helping him. In the aftermath, Kojima argues that their refusal to fight back is not weakness but a conscious choice—a form of resistance that confounds their tormentors. The boy is torn between her idealism and the harsh reality of their situation, unsure whether endurance is enough.

The Choice of Weakness

The boy is offered the possibility of surgery to correct his lazy eye, a chance to become "normal." Kojima reacts with anguish, seeing this as a betrayal of their shared identity and struggle. She accuses him of wanting to escape, to join the ranks of their oppressors. The boy is conflicted, longing for acceptance but unwilling to abandon Kojima or the meaning they have found in their suffering. Their friendship fractures under the weight of these choices, each clinging to their own understanding of what it means to survive.

Breaking Points

As winter approaches, the boy and Kojima drift apart. He stops responding to her letters, consumed by insomnia and thoughts of suicide. Kojima grows increasingly thin, her refusal to eat becoming a new "sign" of her commitment to their cause. Both are trapped in cycles of pain and longing, unable to bridge the gap between them. The boy's home life unravels further, with his mother's accidental self-harm and the looming threat of divorce. The world feels increasingly hostile and indifferent.

The Final Letter

After months of silence, Kojima sends the boy a letter, inviting him to meet at Whale Park—the site of their first encounter. The boy, desperate for reconciliation, prepares for the meeting, haunted by memories of their friendship and the possibility of healing. The letter is both a lifeline and a harbinger of finality, as both sense that something irrevocable is about to happen.

Whale Park's Last Stand

At Whale Park, the boy finds Kojima, but they are ambushed by Ninomiya, Momose, and their friends. The bullies force a public humiliation, demanding the boy and Kojima perform sexual acts. In a moment of defiance, Kojima strips naked and confronts her tormentors, laughing and touching them until they flee in fear. Her act is both a reclaiming of agency and a final, desperate gesture. The boy, left in his underwear, is powerless to protect her. Adults arrive, and Kojima is taken away. It is the last time he sees her.

Aftermath and Recovery

In the aftermath, the boy's mother finally learns the truth about his suffering. She offers unconditional support, telling him he does not have to return to school. The boy confides in her about his eye and his friendship with Kojima. For the first time, he is met with understanding rather than judgment. He decides to undergo surgery, not as an escape, but as a step toward healing and reclaiming his life.

The World in Focus

After the surgery, the boy experiences the world with both eyes for the first time. The ordinary becomes extraordinary—leaves shimmer, light dazzles, and depth returns to his perception. He is overwhelmed by the beauty of the world, even as he mourns the loss of Kojima and the innocence of their friendship. The novel ends with a sense of bittersweet hope: pain endures, but so does the possibility of seeing the world anew.

Characters

The Boy (Eyes)

The unnamed protagonist is a fourteen-year-old boy marked by his lazy eye, which makes him a target for relentless bullying. His psychological landscape is shaped by shame, self-doubt, and a desperate longing for connection. He is introspective, intelligent, and deeply empathetic, yet paralyzed by fear and a sense of powerlessness. His relationship with Kojima becomes a lifeline, allowing him to articulate his pain and glimpse the possibility of acceptance. Over the course of the novel, he moves from passive endurance to a tentative assertion of agency, culminating in his decision to undergo surgery and seek a new beginning.

Kojima

Kojima is the boy's classmate and fellow outcast, bullied for her poverty and unkempt appearance. She is both fragile and strong, using her "signs"—dirty clothes, refusal to bathe, self-imposed hunger—as acts of resistance and remembrance of her father. Kojima's worldview is shaped by suffering, which she transforms into a source of meaning and identity. Her friendship with the boy is intense and idealistic, but also fraught with the weight of their shared trauma. Kojima's final act of defiance at Whale Park is both a triumph and a tragedy, embodying the limits and possibilities of endurance.

Ninomiya

Ninomiya is the ringleader of the bullies, admired for his looks and intelligence but feared for his sadism. He is a master manipulator, orchestrating elaborate humiliations while maintaining a veneer of popularity. Ninomiya's violence is calculated, leaving no visible marks, and he is acutely aware of the social dynamics that allow him to act with impunity. He represents the arbitrary nature of power and the ease with which cruelty can be normalized.

Momose

Momose is Ninomiya's enigmatic friend, equally intelligent but emotionally distant. He rarely participates directly in the bullying, instead offering a chillingly rational justification for it. His conversations with the boy reveal a nihilistic worldview, in which meaning is an illusion and people act solely on their desires. Momose's indifference is as damaging as Ninomiya's violence, challenging the boy's and Kojima's belief in the possibility of justice or empathy.

The Boy's Mother

The boy's mother is emotionally reserved, preoccupied with her own struggles and the disintegration of her marriage. She is largely unaware of her son's suffering until the novel's climax, when she finally offers him unconditional support. Her acceptance marks a turning point, allowing the boy to begin healing. She represents the imperfect but necessary role of family in the face of trauma.

The Boy's Father

The father is a peripheral figure, rarely present and emotionally disengaged. His absence exacerbates the boy's sense of isolation and lack of support. He serves as a symbol of the failures of adult authority and the loneliness of childhood.

The Classmates

The other students in the class are largely passive, either participating in or ignoring the bullying. Their silence and inaction are as damaging as the active cruelty of Ninomiya and his friends. They embody the social dynamics that allow violence to persist and the difficulty of breaking free from collective norms.

The Teachers

The teachers are largely unaware of the extent of the bullying, offering only superficial concern. Their inability to recognize or address the suffering of their students highlights the limitations of institutional authority and the invisibility of certain forms of pain.

Kojima's Mother

Kojima's mother is marked by her own history of abuse and poverty. Her remarriage and attempts to distance herself from the past create tension with Kojima, who clings to the memory of her father. Their relationship is fraught with misunderstanding and unspoken pain.

The Doctor

The doctor who treats the boy's injuries and later performs his eye surgery is a figure of competence and kindness. He offers a pragmatic perspective on healing and change, encouraging the boy to consider the possibility of a different future.

Plot Devices

Epistolary Exchange

The secret letters between the boy and Kojima serve as both a narrative device and a symbol of their connection. Through their correspondence, they create a private world where they can articulate feelings and ideas suppressed in public. The letters allow for intimacy, vulnerability, and the construction of shared meaning, even as the outside world remains hostile.

Dual Perspectives on Suffering

The novel juxtaposes Kojima's belief in the redemptive power of suffering with Momose's nihilistic amorality. This dialectic is embodied in the boy's internal struggle, as he oscillates between hope and despair, meaning and meaninglessness. The tension between these worldviews drives the narrative and shapes the characters' choices.

Symbolism of the Eye

The boy's lazy eye is both a literal source of his suffering and a metaphor for the experience of being seen—and unseen—by others. It represents the ways in which difference is marked, policed, and internalized. The possibility of surgery becomes a symbol of transformation, raising questions about identity, conformity, and the cost of acceptance.

Art and "Heaven"

The art museum and the painting "Heaven" function as metaphors for the world the protagonists long for—a place where pain is transmuted into beauty and harmony. Art offers a temporary refuge, a vision of what might be possible, even as reality intrudes.

Foreshadowing and Recurrence

The novel employs recurring motifs—notes, cutting, bullying, and the changing seasons—to underscore the cyclical nature of suffering and the persistence of hope. The return to Whale Park at the end of the novel echoes the beginning, framing the story as both a journey and a return.

Narrative Structure

The narrative is structured as a series of vignettes, letters, and internal monologues, creating an immersive and intimate portrait of the protagonists' inner lives. The use of first-person perspective and present-tense narration heightens the immediacy of their experiences.

Analysis

Mieko Kawakami's Heaven is a searing exploration of adolescent pain, the brutality of social exclusion, and the fragile possibilities of connection. Through the intertwined stories of two bullied teenagers, the novel interrogates the nature of suffering: Is it arbitrary, as Momose claims, or can it be transformed into meaning, as Kojima believes? The answer is left unresolved, reflecting the complexity of real trauma. The novel refuses easy redemption or catharsis; instead, it dwells in ambiguity, showing how endurance can be both a form of resistance and a trap. The physicality of the boy's lazy eye and Kojima's "signs" foreground the ways in which difference is constructed and punished, while their secret friendship offers a glimpse of grace amid violence. The climactic scene at Whale Park is both devastating and transcendent, illustrating the limits of agency and the cost of survival. Ultimately, Heaven is a testament to the persistence of beauty and the possibility of seeing the world anew, even after unimaginable pain. It challenges readers to confront the realities of bullying, the failures of adult authority, and the urgent need for empathy. In a world that often feels indifferent or hostile, Kawakami's novel insists on the value of bearing witness—to suffering, to friendship, and to the fleeting moments of heaven that make life endurable.

Last updated: April 29, 2025