The Setting Sun
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese novel
by Osamu Dazai
. It was published in 1947 and is set in Japan after World War II
. Principal characters are the siblings Kazuko and Naoji, and their elderly mother. The story shows a family in decline and crisis, like many other families during this period of transition between traditional Japan and a more advanced, industrial society. Many families needed to leave their old lives behind and start anew. Throughout the story, mostly through the character Naoji, the author brings up a number of social and philosophical problems of that time period.
The novel was adapted into a film The Setting Sun which was released by Kaerucafe on June 13, 2009. The film, directed by Masatoshi Akihara and with a screenplay by Yukie Ochiai, starred Eriko Sato
as Kazuko. Other cast members included Yōichi Nukumizu, Yosuke Ito, Sera Rinka, Kota Masago, Ichiro Ogura, and Hitomi Takahashi
as the mother.
The story starts out in the family's old house, with Kazuko's mother eating rationed food. Then Kazuko has a flashback to a time when she tried to burn snake eggs, thinking that they were viper eggs. It is revealed that at the time of Kazuko's father's death, there were many snakes present. Therefore, snakes have become ominous in her mother's eyes. After recalling the time Kazuko burned the eggs, she reveals that she feels a snake is growing inside of her own chest.
The family eventually moves to the countryside and Kazuko begins to work in the fields. She claims to be growing into a "coarse woman" because of this.
Naoji eventually returns, but is addicted to opium and is cruel to his mother and sister. He also goes out every night drinking. Kazuko finds Naoji's "Moonflower Journal," which he wrote when he had narcotic poisoning. It consists of pages upon pages of unconnected gripes about the world, and how people always lie.
Kazuko falls for a novelist named Mr. Uehara, and writes three letters to him, claiming to love a man named M.C., while addressing the letter to him with two combinations of M.C. after his name. “My Chekhov” and “My Child”, showing that he was in fact the one she is referring to in the letters. He never responds.
Soon after, her mother is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Kazuko finds a black snake on the porch and remembers how her father died when one was present. She yells at it, claiming to have already felt its vengeance, but it doesn’t go away. Her mother eventually passes away.
After an outing with Mr. Uehara six years after she met him, she realizes that he also is not in the best health and calls him a victim. That morning, Kazuko finds out that her brother Naoji has committed suicide.
In his suicide note, he reveals his reasons for not wanting to live anymore, and claims that humans have the right to choose whether or not they want to live or die. He also tells Kazuko about a woman he was in love with, but had difficulty writing her name. He finally reveals that her name is Suga. His last request is that he be buried in his mother's hemp kimono, something he had wanted to wear the next summer.
In the last chapter, Kazuko claims that people keep leaving her. The story ends with a letter to Mr. Uehara. She reveals that she is pregnant, and that she will happily raise the child on her own. She has thrown away the old morality and is embracing a new way of life, very much like what all of Japan was going through. She says that they are "victims of a transitional period", and ends the letter addressing Mr. Uehara once again as M.C., My Comedian.
Kazuko’s mother – elderly, sickly woman who becomes lost and depressed after losing all of her money and having to leave her old life behind. She eventually dies of tuberculosis.
Naoji – a soldier in the war, was addicted to narcotics and opium. Has a very negative view of the world, as evident in his “Moonflower Journal”. Eventually commits suicide.
Mr. Uehara – a novelist who is married with a child. Kazuko is in love with him, and he claims to love her back but never responds to any letters Kazuko sends him.
Uncle Wada – Kazuko’s uncle, who financially supports Kazuko’s family for a time until he is unable to do so anymore.
Black Snake - the black snake, can be seen as a symbol of death. There was a snake present when her father died, and also a snake present when her mother died. Also, at their old house, there was a snake present, symbolizing the death of her family’s old life and the coming death of her mother.
Fire is a motif which appears throughout the novel, and it symbolizes many different things. When Kazuko unintentionally cause the fire right after she moves into the countryside, the fire represents the downfall of Kazuko's family, and that of Japanese aristocracy as a whole. Later, when Kazuko describes her feelings as "a bridge of flames" in her letter to Mr. Uehara, the symbol now represents Kazuko's strong, almost desperate, dependency on him.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Osamu Dazai
Osamu Dazai
was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan.-Biography:-Early life:Dazai was born , the eighth surviving child of a wealthy landowner in Kanagi, a remote corner of Japan at the northern tip of Tōhoku in Aomori Prefecture...
. It was published in 1947 and is set in Japan after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Principal characters are the siblings Kazuko and Naoji, and their elderly mother. The story shows a family in decline and crisis, like many other families during this period of transition between traditional Japan and a more advanced, industrial society. Many families needed to leave their old lives behind and start anew. Throughout the story, mostly through the character Naoji, the author brings up a number of social and philosophical problems of that time period.
The novel was adapted into a film The Setting Sun which was released by Kaerucafe on June 13, 2009. The film, directed by Masatoshi Akihara and with a screenplay by Yukie Ochiai, starred Eriko Sato
Eriko Sato
, originally a glamour model, is a Japanese actress.She was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and raised in Tokyo. She was given the Best Actress award at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival....
as Kazuko. Other cast members included Yōichi Nukumizu, Yosuke Ito, Sera Rinka, Kota Masago, Ichiro Ogura, and Hitomi Takahashi
Hitomi Takahashi
Hitomi Takahashi may refer to:*Hitomi Takahashi , Japanese actress*Hitomi Takahashi , Japanese singer...
as the mother.
Plot summary
The story revolves around an aristocrat family who lost all of their money after World War II. The family consists of three people - Kazuko, Naoji and their mother. Naoji is a soldier in the South Pacific and is absent throughout much of the beginning of the novel. Kazuko was married once before, but divorced.The story starts out in the family's old house, with Kazuko's mother eating rationed food. Then Kazuko has a flashback to a time when she tried to burn snake eggs, thinking that they were viper eggs. It is revealed that at the time of Kazuko's father's death, there were many snakes present. Therefore, snakes have become ominous in her mother's eyes. After recalling the time Kazuko burned the eggs, she reveals that she feels a snake is growing inside of her own chest.
The family eventually moves to the countryside and Kazuko begins to work in the fields. She claims to be growing into a "coarse woman" because of this.
Naoji eventually returns, but is addicted to opium and is cruel to his mother and sister. He also goes out every night drinking. Kazuko finds Naoji's "Moonflower Journal," which he wrote when he had narcotic poisoning. It consists of pages upon pages of unconnected gripes about the world, and how people always lie.
Kazuko falls for a novelist named Mr. Uehara, and writes three letters to him, claiming to love a man named M.C., while addressing the letter to him with two combinations of M.C. after his name. “My Chekhov” and “My Child”, showing that he was in fact the one she is referring to in the letters. He never responds.
Soon after, her mother is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Kazuko finds a black snake on the porch and remembers how her father died when one was present. She yells at it, claiming to have already felt its vengeance, but it doesn’t go away. Her mother eventually passes away.
After an outing with Mr. Uehara six years after she met him, she realizes that he also is not in the best health and calls him a victim. That morning, Kazuko finds out that her brother Naoji has committed suicide.
In his suicide note, he reveals his reasons for not wanting to live anymore, and claims that humans have the right to choose whether or not they want to live or die. He also tells Kazuko about a woman he was in love with, but had difficulty writing her name. He finally reveals that her name is Suga. His last request is that he be buried in his mother's hemp kimono, something he had wanted to wear the next summer.
In the last chapter, Kazuko claims that people keep leaving her. The story ends with a letter to Mr. Uehara. She reveals that she is pregnant, and that she will happily raise the child on her own. She has thrown away the old morality and is embracing a new way of life, very much like what all of Japan was going through. She says that they are "victims of a transitional period", and ends the letter addressing Mr. Uehara once again as M.C., My Comedian.
Characters
Kazuko – Daughter of an aristocratic family that loses all of their money after World War II. She used to be married but divorced after an affair with another man. She moves with her mother to the countryside and takes care of her.Kazuko’s mother – elderly, sickly woman who becomes lost and depressed after losing all of her money and having to leave her old life behind. She eventually dies of tuberculosis.
Naoji – a soldier in the war, was addicted to narcotics and opium. Has a very negative view of the world, as evident in his “Moonflower Journal”. Eventually commits suicide.
Mr. Uehara – a novelist who is married with a child. Kazuko is in love with him, and he claims to love her back but never responds to any letters Kazuko sends him.
Uncle Wada – Kazuko’s uncle, who financially supports Kazuko’s family for a time until he is unable to do so anymore.
Symbolism
The title, “The Setting Sun,” refers to how Japan, the “Land of the Rising Sun” was in a period of decline after World War II. In her last letter to Mr. Uehara, Kazuko says that Japan is struggling against the old morality, “like the sun.”Black Snake - the black snake, can be seen as a symbol of death. There was a snake present when her father died, and also a snake present when her mother died. Also, at their old house, there was a snake present, symbolizing the death of her family’s old life and the coming death of her mother.
Fire is a motif which appears throughout the novel, and it symbolizes many different things. When Kazuko unintentionally cause the fire right after she moves into the countryside, the fire represents the downfall of Kazuko's family, and that of Japanese aristocracy as a whole. Later, when Kazuko describes her feelings as "a bridge of flames" in her letter to Mr. Uehara, the symbol now represents Kazuko's strong, almost desperate, dependency on him.