Modern Japanese Literature

Modern Japanese Literature

This paper aims at analyzing three artistic works by Higuchi Ichiyo Kawabata and Natsumei Soseki to reflect lower people’s lives marred with bitterness in the Meiji society. The paper will as well explore the anguish of the lives of conventional Japanese intellectuals characterized by revolt and dissatisfaction by the dark reality of the modern community of Japan. The exploration is divided into three parts for each novel with a conclusion to unify the central theme of these works.

In the analysis of Child’s Play, it is evident that the novel depicts the liberation awakening issues of women in Japan. In this regard,Japanese female is portrayed to have had a thing in common; they are dependent,thereby rendering them unable to master their destinies independently. Additionally, they tolerated the existence of prostitution in the law system, making them pay excess attention to money and ignore moral constraints. The situationemerged from Japanesesocial norms that the patriarchal system and money dominated everything else.

In the analysis of Natsume Soseki’s individualism, we find that egotistic thinking was favored in helping develop independent individualism by refusing to follow ‘others-centered’ thinking, in favor of ‘own thinking.’With the analysis of the relationship between Sensei and his uncle and that between Sensei and K., It will be evident that everyone ought to assume the corresponding responsibilities, obligations and demonstrate respect for others while exercising financial resources power.

In the analysis of Kawabata’s Izu Dancer, we find that the narrator,who is a nineteen years old introverted young man is lonely and on the verge of depression in the opening of the story. But upon stumbling on the young Izu dancer among a group of other dancers, he develops feelings of love, and this marks the beginning of his journey to self-awareness. And although the dancers regard him to belong to an upper social class going by the fact that he was a student at the prestigious Tokyo University, the encounter and the journey with these dancers was a self-understanding moment for the narrator.

By carrying out an analysis of these three artistic works, we will be able to see how Japanese people behaved and developed in feudal society. By this exploration, we will also be able to observe how people’s inner world changed in the dark reality of Japan’s modern society.

Child’s Play by Higuchi Ichiyo

In her works that mirrored social status Higuchi Ichiyo, gave a detailed description of lower-class people and female life based on her hard life experience. Child’s Play describes the emotional life of a group of young girls and boys during the Meiji period living in Yoshiwara Street of Tokyo in Japan.In specific, Ichiyo depictedmajor characters such as Midori, Shota, and Nobu, in reflecting their mental state to youth from adolescence. During this stage of psychological and physical development, the children were required to receive proper cultivation and education. However, their living environment was so cruel, forcing them to face the reality of the dark side of the society marred with the corrupt air of the chaotic adults’ world. In this kind of environment, the innocent hearts of these teenagers were bound to incur damages, as they were to face a dark future, which meant they either would get destroyed,or if not,then they would at the least getcorroded.

Child’s Play is not just a literary work that describes young boys and girls, but rather it criticizes social reality. Even though it shapes adolescent girls’ and boys’ images, it brings out a revelationof two different worlds that of the children and that of adults whereby one is filled with innocence and, and the other one is characterized with fraud and chaos.Main charactersunderwent transformation from childhood world to adulthood’ world, which marked the entry into a transitional phase that hangs between childhood and adulthood. Besides maintaining their childish innocence,these children found themselves caught by adulthood bad behaviors. In the childish world, these youthful girls and boys, as described by Ichiyo, find the childish world completely different from the world they were headed for. An aspect that reveals the fear of teenagers proceeding into the adult world. As depicted by Ichiyo’s work, teenagers’ life can be seen to relate closely to their social environment. The transformation taking shape gradually, soon they would graduate into adulthood.

Through Child’s Play, Ichiyo depicts a cheerful childhood lifeand relates it with the ugly realistic society, thereby manifesting the two worlds to imply the children’s tragic fate.This endows Child’s Play with unique artistic characteristics and a whole lot of them.Through the exclusive description of the world of teenagers, the story exquisitely portrays the life of lower-class people,depicting the characters of teenagers and shape their image realistically. This combined children’s world and social life bring out the revelation that the brothelstreet’s social life cast shadows on the innocent soul and life of the teenagers. It also revealed the problems about social life and money, having corroded the soul of the teenagers predicting the uncertainty of their future.

In the quarters, prostitution was the primary source of economic support. As such, people who didn’t work in a prostitution-related job had to struggle to make a living.However, some of the peoplein Yoshiwara, lived a luxurious and lustful life as the poor struggled to maintain their lives.For instance, although Ohana and Midori’s sister belonged to different social rank, they were both victims of power and money control. Being women, they were denied choice and freedom in life. Women were denied the right to speak either about family or even the society in which power and money dominated. As such, they were accustomed to doing shameful things just to make money.In this case, money crossed the line between what was moral, and as a result, this ruined the mind of women.

Kokoro byNatsume Soseki

Natsume Soseki had a belief that the Japanese had gotten excessively influenced by the western culture such that they were now only following it blindly by all aspects. He fiercely criticized the idea of Japan of copying western civilization blindly, and instead proposed started egotistic thinking.As such, he declared that he would use his strength without any influence to develop Japanese literature. “I was an independent Japanese, not a slave to England, and it was incumbent upon me as a Japanese to possess at least this degree of self-respect.” (Natsume Soseki, Soseki on Individualism 34).

Individualism, as portrayed by Soseki, necessitates the highest standards of ideology and morality. It insists that for a man developing individuality becomes meaningless unless he attains some level of ideological and ethical culture and as such his wealth and power becomes loses meaning. Others-centered thinking’s idea in learning and assimilating western culture in full compliance with the standards of the West. As such, Japan’s ‘civilization’ process is only reduced to a superficial imitation.

On the other hand, the idea of individualism is in makingindependent judgments over things away from the influence of others.According to Soseki real individualism is a code of conduct that people ought to follow as they get along with others and not just a discipline. Natsume Soseki, in his novel Kokoro,describes a typical collision of friendship and love as we as between morality and self-serving. As depicted from the novelall through K’s life,his thoughts have gone through ‘Other-centered’ thinking, egotistical thinking, and individualism as the three developmental stages. The novel paints a picture of a young K who is struggling to bridge over from childhood to adulthood in a society where other’s centered thinking dominates.

When he gets into high school in Tokyo,he refuses to blindly follow the medical profession recommendation of his foster father: ‘Undaunted, he agreed with me, and then answered that he did not mind doing such a thing, so long as it led him to “the true way.”‘ (Soseki, Kokoro 19) He, therefore, decides to adhereto his ideal and stick to his ‘true’ dream prompting him to even lie to his foster father. It marks K’sgrowth and transformation,whereby his thoughts shifted to egotistic thinking from other-centered thinking.When his foster father decides to deny him support with school expenses, K as well refuses without hesitation material assistance from Sensei without hesitation. “His view, in short, was that once having entered the university, it would be a disgrace to him as a grown man not to be able to solve his problems by himself.” (Soseki 21)He had denounced the ‘Other-centred’ thinking and adopted egotistical thinking.

After refusingmaterial assistance from Sensei, he works hard and only relies on his efforts for a year and a half to make a living. “When one pointed out the unreasonableness of such an attitude, he would become infuriated. Then he would begin to worry about his future, which seemed not as promising as it did before.” (Soseki 22) Being the only child, growing up, Sensei had been raised in an environment of generosity; hewas a child with a cheerful and optimistic personality, but suddenly,he starts to lose trust and suspecting other people.His optimistic attitude gets lost ones his uncle takes over his house upon the death of his parents, making him suspect everyone within his circle.

Sensei’s father had continuously praised his brother as one who had superior qualities to him however Sensei learned the opposite of this. ‘The trouble with inheriting money from one’s parents.’ he once said to my mother and me, ‘is that it dulls one’s wits. It’s a bad thing not to have to struggle for one’s living'” (Soseki 133). From these words, we can tell that Sensei not only believed his uncle in the early days but was alsograteful to him. There is no way he could have doubted an uncle who his father had admired and trusted all his life and as such he could not imagine deception from his uncle.He would, therefore, think “You remember of course that day when I said that there was no such thing in this world as a species of men whose unique quality is badness; and that one should always be careful not to forget that a gentleman, when tempted, may easily become a rogue.” (Soseki 141)

This scenario made Sensei realize egoism in the realm of the ugliness of human nature. Later his uncle’s greed got out of control to the point that he even married his daughter so that he can legally own Sensei’s inheritance.Sensei lost trust and became suspectful towards people.”You were then good enough to point out to me that I was excited. You also asked what it was that caused good men to become bad; and when I answered simply, ‘Money,’ you looked dissatisfied. I remember well that look of dissatisfaction on your face” (Soseki 141). Sensei developed the feeling that money changed good men and made them bad.

His uncle’s greedy behavior,especially when he takes away his house from him,was the first thing that led him to loneliness. “Other relatives of mine stepped in to settle the quarrel between my uncle and me. I had no trust in any of them. I regarded them as my enemies.” (Soseki 143) It is evident from these words thatSensei had fallen into the trap of distrusting and being suspicious of other people.Loneliness and sadness was also the reason behind Sensei’ssuicide as death served as a relief to him.

The Izu Dancer by Kawabata

A story by Kawabatawhich gives a depiction of love, loneliness, as well as a young man’s journey to self-understanding. The story describes the presence of two different ‘worlds’ in the eyes of the narrator as well,and in this case, the narrator observes that there are two distinct worlds.The two separate worlds in the story are mainly as a result of differences in social status. For instance, the narrator appears to have lived in a very genteel environment very different from that of the dancers who in societal eyes were consideredsocial outcasts. Both worlds in the story are significant in portraying the social class plays in any society. Suchis evidenced by the differences in the social rank of the narrator who is a student at the prestigious Tokyo University and the minstrel girl he falls in love with.

During the time that the 19 years old introverted protagonist meets Kaoru in the Izu Peninsula, he is lonely and at the time, on the verge of depression. Upon meeting Kaoru among the group of dancers, he gets infatuated by her beauty and finds it a good chance to fight his feelings of loneliness.It turns into an erotic attraction towards the dancing girl, and as days go by, the narrator develops deep feelings for this young dancer. The narrator may have gotten attracted to the Izu dancer at his first glance in the family of dancers as she was not only lovely but the youngest of them all. He holds up to these feelings hoping that Kaoru would too find him attractive. He is very impressed when he overhears an older lady in the group, and Kaoru discussed him and more so because they had started to think he was a nice guy.

However, in the course of his stay with the group of dancers, he saw Kaoru naked in a public bath. It dawns on him that she is still a child and that he had mistaken her for a grown-up. He had witnessed the young dancer’s childish character and he was convinced that her looks had deceived him into taking her for a grown-up. Kaoru was not seventeen or eighteen as he had perceived when he had first come across her, she was still pure and very innocent, a thirteen years old kid. He decides, therefore to love the young dancer as a brother and to act as her protector. Finally, as they part ways after their dancing expedition the narrator and the young ‘little’ dance promise to meet sometime later in the future although it was apparent to him that it would not happen.

The dancers’ family had readilytakenhim in, and he had felt part of it, but that was not all; they also helped him to accept himself and to always respond to other people in an open and warm. It was a crucial realization for him, especially having learned it from a group of dancers who the society often considered social outcasts. As he comes to an end of his expedition, he is transformed, and he observes things from a different perspective.

Japanese culture had been greatly influenced by Western culture,and due to its enormous absorption by Japanese,their traditions,including education,were greatly affected.These artistic works not only portray the sufferingof the people,more so women from social oppression and insults,but rather they also reflectthe hardship and cruelty of the society and darkness of life.

In conclusion,this paper focused on exploring three artistic works by Higuchi Ichiyo and Natsumei Soseki to reflect the miserable life of the perceived lower-class people, especially the fate of females who are trampled and ravaged and struggled to live in the dark society. The paper also describes the confused and depressedlife of small conventional Japanese intellectuals, and to a certain level, the analysis shows the resistance and dissatisfaction Japanese towards modern society’s dark reality.

References

Natsume Soseki, 1867-1916. (1941) “Kokoro,” Tokyo, Hakuseido Press for the Japan Writers’ Society.

Kawabata, Y., Seidensticker, E., & Ishii, S. (1964). “The Izu Dancer,” Tokyo: Hare Shobo.

Ichiyo H, 1872-1896., (1981) “Child’s Play,” New Haven: Yale University Press.