In regards to structure, the text begins with a hung over Yoshiya in the brutal aftermath of inebriation, and ends with Yoshiya having some kind of intense spiritual encounter with God and the Earth. Juxtaposing these two circumstances shows the extreme transformation that Yoshiya undergoes through his search to discover his biological father, and by extension, his true origins.
Conflict and characters are introduced gradually, explored through flashbacks to Yoshiya’s childhood and the thoughts running through his head in the present day. In many ways, this is reflective of the tumultuous state of Yoshiya’s mind; indecisive, confused, and jumbled.