# Beauty and Pain in Short Fiction

> Theme guide for Short Fiction by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.

The book explores the intimate connection between aesthetic beauty and physical or emotional suffering, as seen in the tattooer Seikichi who derives pleasure from his clients' pain and in the characters' sacrifices for love or art.

## Where it surfaces

- [Short Fiction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_52_se/chapters/short-fiction): Seikichi's obsessive search for the perfect girl highlights the intersection of aesthetic ideal and suffering.
- [Tattooing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_52_se/chapters/tattooing): The chapter explores the intimate relationship between beauty and pain, as Seikichi's tattooing process causes immense suffering yet results in beautiful art, and the girl endures pain to become beautiful.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_52_se/themes/beauty_and_pain
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_52_se/themes