The Self-hatred of Kochan in Confessions of a Mask
In his semi-autobiographical novel, Confessions of a Mask, Yukio Mishima examines the struggle for acceptance by a man living outside of the socially accepted norms. A motif that strongly pervades this novel is death and the images of blood associated with it. Kochan, a Japanese adolescent living in post-war Japan, struggles with his homosexuality and his desire to be "normal." In order to survive, he must hide behind a mask of propriety.
At a young age, Kochan shows signs of being attracted to male beauty. His earliest memory is of a young night-soil man "with handsome ruddy cheeks and shining eyes" (8). Initially, his attraction to men is confused with a desire to be like them. Referring to the young night-soil man, Kochan remembers thinking, "I want to change into him. I want to be him" (9). However, as his life continues to take its course, he slowly realizes that his admiration for other men is actually love.
When he first begins to appreciate male beauty, he develops an affinity for blood and death. This association may ...
As, we perfectly know, the public could only come to support Ms Frey, not because, public believed to her statement, but because public need a sensation, and to feel a strong emotions. The murder, and in a case of a murder, like Peterson wife and not-born baby, the violence rich to it maximum, that is only why public came to Ms Frey support. Because public love to gather information about special case, and to specify ( define) the level of
...Boyarin overcome his fear of being labeled by the society by sticking up to his morals and ethics. This shows that an individual’s fear of being labeled by the society can depend on the situations they face which shape their strategies of personal identity.
know beauty in any form”(86). We are so conditioned to see female beauty as what men
The power to disable an enemy force without ever having to fire a shot might be closer than we think. While no one knows exactly what the future holds, it seems viruses, Trojans, and worms will continue to be used in an effort to attack and disable opposing forces across the world. If the United States wants to remain in an advantageous position in the information war, spending towards cyber security in our nation will have to increase. This book provides an enjoyable start to learning about information warfare, historical examples of how information has shaped battles, and what to expect in the years to come.
Some of the good side effects are you can become more regular, have lighter periods, even no periods at all, less cramping, and they’re highly effective. Some of the bad side effects that come with using birth control are breast tenderness, spotting, serious blood clots, skin irritation, raised blood pressure, and the birth control being expensive. Those are just some of the reasons why women have a love hate relationship with birth control. That’s why it takes so much time and research to find what birth control is right for you because you need to know the kind of side effects that comes with the birth control method you
-- The quote from one the of characters Master Liang pinpoints a key theme in Wu Tianming 's movie The King of Masks, that is, the power of the true feelings in times of oppression and inequality. Wu Tianming is a representative of Chinese fourth generation filmmakers, who are known for a simple, natural and realistic way of storytelling as well as their thematic exploration of human nature and meaning of life . Masks is Wu's academic-winning work through which we can see his philosophy from the depiction of ordinary people and the trivial elements of daily life. The story takes place among 1930s in a small town of Sichuan, revolving around King, a street artist's change of perception from keeping to the feudal idea that his skills cannot be passed on through girls to finally allow his beloved adopted granddaughter Doggie be the heir. 1930s is a time of social hierarchy and gender inequality where the rights of minority are exploited; it is also a time of moral confinement, since most people do not receive education and unquestioningly follow the societal rules and customs simply because they are told to. However, Masks shows us that the power of true feelings and humanity can eventually allow people to overcome all the barriers and defeat injustice, as in the ending King is finally able to let go all of the societal restrictions to teach Doggie face-changing because he realizes that nothing is more important than their familial love and bonding. The film's emphasis on emotional depiction, accompanying by artistic cinematography, tranquil scenery and the charm of Chinese traditional art, all have contributed to the timelessness and immutability of the p...
This particular passage was chosen because it details the climactic moment within Mishima’s novella where Noboru and his friends, acting on their sense of betrayal by Ryuji, lure him to an abandoned military based on the pretext of hearing him recount stories of his life at sea, and end by poisoning him. This extract encapsulates a great deal of the thematic concerns and literary motifs which are present in the main body of the narrative, and brings the entire work to an abstract, almost mystical, resolution. I will attempt to demonstrate how certain aspects of this work may pertain to certain events in the author’s life, and how the spectre of the authors own meticulously planned suicide a few years later resides in the highly ritualised death of the sailor Ryuji. This extract, like the much of the narrative, is imbued with a great deal of simplistic and emotive language. There are many metaphysical allusions to the womb and maternal love in the portrayal of Fusako- Noboru’s protective and melancholy mother. Given Mishima’s hatred for Westernization, are we to assume that the portrayal of the old fashioned and traditional Fusako, with her dislike of modernity, that this work is in essence an allegorical representation of the corruption and westernization of Japanese society? The fact that Ryuji’s murder takes place in an abandoned U.S military base, suggests that there are many hidden dimensions to this work.
nurture. In the writing, “Trafficking in Men,” author Gutman states, “There are at least four distinct ways that anthropologists define and use the concept of masculinity and the related notions of male identity, man hood, manliness, and men’s roles.” Each of these characteristics coincides with one another and creates the image of what it is to be a “man”. How men think, act, size up, and interact with one another often define the level of masculinity. Yet the underlying fact still remains that all cultures around the world comprehend masculinity differently. “My encounter with Machismo in Spain” by David Gilmore describes the Andalusians’ ideal view of masculinity is composed of virtue, honor and bravery. In some instances masculinity can be merely be defined as being a provider, due too the fact that some cultures don’t resort to placing stigma behind the term. “Semoi of Malaysia, violence and aggression are obsolete” (Kindlon &Thompson) It goes to show the even with the various interpretations of masculinity, its meaning is not strictly biological. Where and how a male lives, will greatly determine his level of
Confessions of a Mask was a therapeutic effort for Mishima (Nathan 1057), but also a major artistic success in his career (1149). Confessions established Mishima as a star in Japan and revealed his individual case (Yourcenar 16). Mishima’s book caused many critics disgust by the explicit content of homosexuality (1155), still it was regarded as a work of genius (Scott-Stokes 120). His novel managed to sell twenty thousand copies in hardcover, and became a best seller in Japan, 1949 (Nathan 1155). After his success with Confessions he gave up the bureaucratic job his father insisted he pursue and began writing his novels and working part-time for pulp magazines (Yourcenar 22-23). It is dangerous to say that Confessions is a biography of Mishima himself (Nathan 963), but we do learn ...
Necrophilia is comprised of a large scale of actions and fantasies (UCSB1). Experts have made subcategories to aid in clarifying the spectrum of necrophilic actions and fantasies (UCSB1). The first subcategory is necrophilic fantasies. “Necrophilic fantasies” are simply fantasies of sexual contact with the deceased (UCSB1). The second subcategory, “pseudonecrophilia,” is defined as secluded episodes of sexual contact with a cadaver with no prior necrophilic fantasies or yearnings (UCSB1). The third subcategory is necrosadism. “Necrosadism” is described as, “a paraphilia in which one derives sexual pleasure from violent actions performed on a corpse, such as mutilation or the drinking of blood” (UCSB1). The final subcategory, necrophilic homicide, is like necrosadism, but differs in the fact that the crime of killing a victim to acquire a cadaver is a part of the fantasy (UCSB1).
Through its characters, scenarios and settings, literature allows us to enter another person’s world and experience it through their shoes. And though sometimes it may be dramatized, because literature is a mirror on the world we live in, the key themes of books remain genuine and pertinent to us. One of my favourite texts, the autobiography Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, reflects on her childhood struggles for acceptance by her family. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka also reflects alienation in the context of a hostile family environment.
Yukiko tells her experience to ‘I’, who then tells the story to the audience through a third person point of view. Even though the ultimate narrator of the metadiegetic story is ‘I’, it is precisely Yukiko who recollects the past as an active agent and thus has an enormous impact on the way how the characters are described. As a primary narrator of the metadiegetic story, Yukiko is able to interact with the story and her current thoughts are often manifested between lines where she describes particular scenes or feelings of the past. For example, at the point of time when she was just gazing at the quarrel between the brothers, she describes that “her heart was uneasy and disturbed” and thought that “she would not be able to look at them anymore” (83). However, in the very next line, she says “when she [Yukiko] recollected the past, she came to realize that she might have regarded them primarily with jealousy. Yukiko felt attracted by the sweet, sentimental desire that emanated from the abyss of their violent passion for each other” (83). The young Yukiko at the time of the event thought she was disturbed by what she saw from the two brothers. Notice that during this time, she was not only at the bottom of the power structure but was on the verge of losing her female subjectivity. Thus, the homosexual implication of the brothers’ relationship only reassured the fact that there is no place for her heterosexuality to stand up. However, as soon as the old Yukiko intervenes the story, her confession acts to emphasize the transformation of her role from a powerless being, desperate to secure her existence, to an observer who is fully aware of her emotion and the corresponding meaning of
While O’Keefe & Clarke-Pearson studied the effects of social media on children, Schau, & Gilly (2003) chronicled the social effects of the internet on young adult users. The researchers believed that extended consequences of social media on adults effected Firestone’s critical inner voice (Schau, & Gilly 2003). Schau and Gilly believed that social media skewed the dynamic that exists as a negative filter through which to view our life and decisions we make (Schau, & Gilly 2003). The researchers theorized that the voice is created during times of stress or trauma during early adolescence and can be influenced by both positive and negative
Actions you make in life can change your identity. Whether it has to be with living in a guilt ridden place within yourself or envy causing you to make irrational choices. In the book, “A Separate Peace” we are exposed to this feeling of envy which leads to a guilt ridden life. Because of this burning sense of wanting to be better than the other caused hurt in the process. It shifted personalities to not only learn from their mistakes,but almost grow into adults to see the world for what it really is. Which then brings about the theme we actually see in society today. How envy can lead into not only hurting yourself, but others in the process. A character in ”A Separate Peace” was lost and didn’t know who he was because of his life circumstances
Baby Kochamma also experiences the theme of forbidden love, as she wants to believe that she chose not to accept Father Mulligan’s love, the one thing she desired more than anything. Ammu and Velthu’s foribidden love is disgraceful to her, as this could be because they have what she couldn’t have.