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Evil genius Quote by Yukio Mishima

“On the switchboard of my memory two pair of gloves have crossed wires - those leather gloves of Omi's and a pair of white ceremonial gloves. I never seem to be able to decide which memory might be real, which false. Perhaps the leather gloves were more in harmony with his coarse features. And yet…” quote by Yukio Mishima
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““On the switchboard of my memory two pair of gloves have crossed wires - those leather gloves of Omi's and a pair of white ceremonial gloves. I never seem to be able to decide which memory might be real, which false. Perhaps the leather gloves were more in harmony with his coarse features. And yet again, precisely because of his coarse features, perhaps it was the white pair which became him more. Coarse features - even though I use the words, actually such a description is nothing more than that of the impression created by the ordinary face of one lone young man mixed in among boys. Unrivaled though his build was, in height he was by no means the tallest among us. The pretentious uniform our school required, resembling a naval officer's, could scarely hang well on our still-immature bodies, and Omi alone filled his with a sensation of solid weight and a sort of sexuality. Surely I was not the only one who looked with envious and loving eyes at the muscles of his shoulder and chest, that sort of muscle which can be spied out even beneath a blue-serge uniform. Something like a secret feeling of superiority was always hovering about his face. Perhaps it was that sort of feeling which blazes higher and higher the more one's pride is hurt. It seemed that, for Omi, such misfortunes as failures in examinations and expulsions were the symbols of a frustrated will. The will to what? I imagined vaguely that it must be some purpose toward which his 'evil genius' was driving him. And i was certain that even he did not yet know the full purport of this vast conspiracy against him.””

Yukio Mishima

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Sea of Fertility, Book 1, Shikibu, 1965

The narrator struggles to distinguish between memory and imagination, using gloves as symbols of conflicting perceptions of a charismatic peer.

In simple terms: Memory blurs reality; symbols reveal inner conflict.

Key Takeaway

Question your own memories and the symbols you attach.

Themes

identity memory perception adolescence esteem

Mood

nostalgic reflective conflicted

Type

literary psychological reflective

When to use this quote

  • high school dynamics
  • self‑esteem
  • peer admiration
  • personal reflection
  • narrative analysis

Key Concepts

symbolism subjective reality psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do personal biases shape recollections?
  • What symbols do you use to interpret others?
A Different Perspective

The passage may romanticize or exaggerate the subject’s traits, limiting objectivity.

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