Themes, Motifs, and Symbols Passion in the Face of Death In Bel
Canto, the proximity of death and suffering makes people love
more passionately. We learn that Hosokawa’s love for opera grew
in part from his hard life in post–World War II Japan. Simon and
Edith Thibault renew their love for each other in what they call
a “godforsaken country.” Most centrally, the hostages and the
terrorists grow to love one another in the face of death and
danger. The characters in Bel Canto must live for the moment,
since their situation is uncertain and death could come at any
time. They find that under these circumstances, they crave love
and friendship. The first time Watanabe and Carmen kiss, they do
not make great plans for their future; they talk about the
likelihood that they will be separated. The specter of death
also sharpens the characters’ appreciation of beauty and art.
The first time Kato plays the piano, he plays “the love and
loneliness that each of them felt, that no one had brought
himself to speak of.” Coss