Kaze to Ki no Uta is a work that stands out for its symbolic density and profoundly dualistic structure. The narrative follows the turbulent relationship between Serge Battour and Gilbert Cocteau two opposing characters who share the same tragedy. More than a story about a youthful romance between two boys the work serves as an intense meditation on love the body sexuality desire sin and the redemption of the soul. Through this sensitive and provocative construction the narrative delicately proposes a reflection on the limits of love and morality. The body is a key element in Kaze to Ki no Uta shaping the way the characters relate to each other. Since entering high society Serge has been viewed as impure due to the color of his skin and the circumstances of his birth. Even his talent and efforts are not enough to erase societys perception of his body. 220https://i.ur.com/v7W2ItP.jpeg/ Gilbert on the other hand possesses an appearance often likened to that of an angel admired for his beauty and simultaneously desired by many which makes him the target of repeated abuse. Due to his neglectful and traumatic upbringing Gilbert develops a deep need for physical contact especially of a sexual nature as a way to fill the emptiness inside him. Throughout the story it is through his body that Gilbert expresses his feelings for Serge whether by hitting him or kissing him. Bloodline and inherited stories also emerge as a strong element in the plot. Serge is deeply influenced by his father Aslans past a man who abandoned those he loved to pursue a romance with a young courtesan. Aslan ends up saving her from an impure path she had been forced into. Serge attempts to replicate his parents love story in his relationship with Gilbert striving to turn his companion into a normal boy trying to save him from Auguste. Conversely Gilbert reenacts the tragedy of his own lineage due to the negligence of his upbringing. Abandoned by his mother and raised by his uncle Gilbert is from an early age the victim of abuse inflicted by Auguste. Auguste exercises power over him: having been sexually abused by his adoptive brother Auguste sees in Gilbert a chance to reproduce the same evil he once suffered. Gilbert ends up as a puppet in his uncles hands emotionally dependent on the figure of Auguste. 220https://i.ur.com/f5Kd5su.jpeg/ The Poem of Wind and Trees is dualistic at its core. Dualism serves as the structural foundation of the relationships. Throughout the narrative characters face dilemmas between love and sin purity and corruption bodily desire and spiritual longing. The setting a Christian boarding school inhabited by seemingly pure boys who secretly harbor intense carnal desires intensifies Serges internal conflict: whether to surrender to his passion for Gilbert or remain on the path of righteousness away from the torments surrounding his roommate. Kazekis illustrations heighten the sense of dualism by merging the sacred with the profane. On several occasions Gilbert is depicted with wings reinforcing his angelic beauty and pure appearance. However this same image is challenged by the constant presence of Christian religiosity which reveals the weight of sin in the protagonists relationship. Symbols such as the cross the Virgin Mary and other sacred representations appear amid scenes of despair pain and suffering highlighting the contrast between spirituality and carnal desire. 220https://i.ur.com/w0Jv4yt.jpeg/ In Kazeki love is always portrayed as a source of pain. Gilberts feelings for Auguste exemplify this notion: he lives in a state of emotional dependence seeking affection and physical contact from his own abuser. Not knowing any other form of love Gilbert interprets his uncles mistreatment as a sign of care. In turn Augustes supposed love manifests through sadism. Serge also loves Gilbert and tries to save him but reality shows that his efforts only lead to misery. In this pursuit of redemption both Serge and Gilbert go through moments of violence inflicting physical and psychological pain on each other. Gilbert is at once deeply connected to earthly pleasures and someone whose mind seems fixed on the heavens. He is a free spirit unattached to any place. He forms no deep bonds has no dreams or hopes for the future he lives a life focused on aesthetic beauty and the pleasures offered by aristocratic life. The wings that so often accompany him in the artwork become part of the tragedy of his fate: they symbolize absolute freedom but also a radical detachment from the world and from human relationships. 220https://i.ur.com/ecBso32.png/ Ephemerality is a central theme in the work. Throughout the narrative both objects and characters undergo transformation revealing that nothing remains as it was in the beginning. The events demonstrate that moments of happiness and those of suffering are equally fleeting. Serge marked by the experience of death from an early age develops a deep sensitivity to loss. By the end of the story he finds himself immersed in solitude surrounded by the absence of those he loved and lost. With no prospects for the future and consumed by guilt over the tragedy he has lived through he finds comfort only in music one of the few elements that still connect him to both his father and Gilbert. The days spent at the boarding school during adolescence become a source of comfort for the characters preserved in memory as fragments of eternal happiness. 220https://i.ur.com/4sD1S7n.png/