Water Moon

Hana and Keishin’s adventures through Hana’s magical world launch their intersecting pursuit of happiness. Before Hana meets Keishin, she’s convinced that “[l]iving without a dream [makes] things simpler” (19). Her regimented routine doesn’t “leave[e] any room for daydreams” (19), and she therefore doesn’t allow herself to imagine what her life could be if she weren’t fated to run her family’s pawnshop. Happiness is a figment of the imagination that Hana has learned not to seek. Before Keishin meets Hana, happiness also feels illusive to him. He marries himself to the world of science because this field of study grants him a sense of order and logic—neither of which applies to human contentment. Because “[s]cience isn’t about finding happiness” (247), Keishin learns to deny himself pleasure so that he can apply himself to his work. The characters’ meeting disrupts these notions. Over time, they challenge each other to redefine what happiness could mean. Once they start asking questions about how the world really works and what they really want for themselves, they discover that happiness might be in reach. The novel thus suggests that life’s unexpected happenings and surprising experiences might in fact offer joy and contentment.