Saiichi Maruya's theory of "Botchan" (1)

夏目漱石『こころ』を人類史上初正確に読む

Anyway, the story progressed at such a brisk pace that I really didn't have time to catch my breath, and the two hundred and thirty or forty pages were beautifully completed. There is not a single part that I find a little bit strange. It is a terrific masterpiece. ("For a novel that will never be forgotten," in "Striding Soseki" / Maruya Saiichi / Kodansha / 2000)

It is logical to assume that Maruya Saiichi was not even aware that Nobeoka was considered to be deep in the mountains. He didn't even notice the chestnut tree, which is more important than his life, and above all, he didn't notice the mysteriousness of the beginning of the story, which says that he is always losing money because of the recklessness inherited from his parents. Not only did I not notice it, I even misread it.

In "Botchan," however, the protagonist, a junior high school teacher, is a misogynist, and his interest in women is negatively evaluated in this novel. ("For a Novel That Will Never Be Forgotten," in" Striding Soseki", Saiichi Maruya, Kodansha, 2000)

At the time of writing this, it may have been some time since Maruya read "Botchan" as a whole for the last time. "I" is not considered misogynistic at all.

The old lady would sometimes come to his room and talk about various things. She would ask questions such as, "Why did you bring your wife with you to the house? Do I look like I have a wife? And then he tried to refute me by giving half a dozen examples of who got a wife at twenty, who had two children at twenty-two, and so on. I was terrified. I'm going to get a bride when I'm twenty-four, and I'd like you to take care of her," I asked her, imitating the local dialect.
I asked her if it was true. "It's true, it's true, I'm desperate for a wife.
I'm sure you're right, but what if...? I'm sure you're right, but if you're young, that's the way it is. (Soseki Natsume, "Botchan")

Even as a social greeting, "I" says this. It is true that he is not really feminine in the story, and it is natural to suspect that he is a "woman-hater," but I don't think he is a "woman-hater. Even if the conversation with the old lady was just a social call, the encounter with the Madonna reveals a truly poetic state of mind.

I heard the laughter of a youthful woman at the entrance, so I turned around without thinking and saw a big guy. A tall, beautiful woman with a white, fashionable head and a wife of forty-five or sixty stood side by side in front of the window selling tickets. I'm not a man who can describe a beautiful woman, so I can't say anything about her, but she must be beautiful. I felt as if I had warmed a crystal pearl with perfume and held it in my palm. The older man was shorter. The older man was shorter, but their faces were so similar that they must be father and son. As soon as I realized that he was here, I forgot all about Uranari-kun and only looked at the young woman. (Soseki Natsume, "Botchan")

From this encounter, the love story between "I" and the Madonna has been adapted in movies and other media, but Saiichi Maruya probably wanted to say that the adaptation was a lie. However, "I felt as if I had warmed a crystal pearl with perfume and held it in my palm. The way he wrote this is also unusual. It would not be surprising if he suspected love at first sight. If a young man were to say to a woman, "When I saw you at first sight, I felt as if I had warmed a crystal pearl with perfume and held it in my palm," what would he be saying to her? Wouldn't that seem like a confession to you?

However, throwing raw eggs instead of bullets is even better than that, and is probably the first idea in world literature. ("For a Novel That Will Never Be Forgotten," in "Striding Soseki" /Maruya Saiichi / Kodansha / 2000)

This is another common misunderstanding. In Europe, there is a custom of throwing eggs during the Carnival, and eggs appear in another version of the folk tale "Monkey Crab Battle. "In the 1887 textbook version of 'Monkey Crab Battle,' eggs appear instead of chestnuts, which attack the monkeys by exploding, and instead of cow dung, kelp joins in to help the monkeys slide and fall." (from Wikipedia)

I believe that this egg throwing is not an invention of Soseki, but rather a reference to a legend that I have seen or heard somewhere, but I cannot find any evidence. However, I don't think it is "the first thought in world literature".

Also, this is a problem only for Maruya, but there is a hint that he doesn't understand the meaning of becoming an engineer of a street railway.

Every time, my father told me that he was never going to be good enough anyway. My mother told me that I was violent and unruly and that she feared for my future. As you can see, it's not going to be a good one. As you can see, it's a mess. It's no wonder they were worried about his future. I just want to live and not go to jail.

However, since Kiyo said he would become something, I thought he would be able to become something. In hindsight, it was ridiculous.

Fortunately, when I passed by a physics school, I saw an advertisement for students, so I took it as a sign of good fortune, got a copy of the regulations, and immediately applied for admission. Now that I think about it, this was another blunder caused by my parents' recklessness.

On the eighth day after graduation, the principal came to call on me, so I went out to see what he wanted. The salary was 40 yen a month, but he wanted to know if I would be interested. I had studied for three years, but to tell the truth, I had no intention of becoming a teacher or going to the country. In fact, I had no intention of becoming a teacher or going to the country, although I had studied for three years. This was another example of my parents' recklessness.

Now that I had accepted the position, I had to go. For the past three years, I have been living in a four-and-a-half tatami mat room and I have never heard a single word from him. We never had any quarrels. It was a relatively easy time in my life. (Soseki Natsume, "Botchan")

Saiichi Maruya regards "Botchan" as a pseudo-heroic poem. This is a wise observation. Throwing a flying car between the eyes and throwing a raw egg are probably in the vein of pseudo-heroic poetry in which strange weapons are devised. But "Botchan" is also a framed novel. As you can see, it's all over. Now that I think about it, this was another blunder caused by my parents' recklessness. I regret it. This is probably because I have been subjected to a lot of nagging and quarrels in my life as a street railway engineer. It is difficult to discuss Soseki Natsume's works without carefully reading the extent of his regret, which is in my life and not in my life before that. My monthly salary dropped from forty yen to twenty-five yen. So, as you can see, it's all over. So, as you can see, it's all over. Now is not the relatively easy time. This is a basic confirmation of the story, and not a part that can be arbitrarily interpreted. However, I wonder how many people have an accurate understanding of this area.

　Raise your hand if you knew that!

　Yes, let me down.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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