How to read Soseki Natsume's "Kokoro" (10)
Read with logic, not feeling.
I'll summarize some of the bad interpretations that have been said about "Kokoro" so far.
To categorize it as a story of love and friendship -> not understanding the whole work
Seeing the teacher as an egoist → total affirmation by "I", not understanding the freshness of the beginning
The spirit of the Meiji era began with Emperor Meiji and ended with him.
After the death of the teacher, Shizuka also committed suicide → Shizuka is still alive ("I" actually know that Shizuka doesn't know about the teacher's past yet)
The book I browsed today, Soseki Natsume by Hikaru Okuizumi was a terrible book. He says that there is no right way to read a novel and that "Kokoro" is a failure. But I don't think that's true. It is true that there is a wrong way to read a novel, and there is a minimum line that one should be able to read to this level, which is why there is a Japanese language test. In that sense, you have to be able to read up to the point where Shizu is alive.
Only Shizu has a name in the story, but Seki and Omitsu also have names.
This is also a simple mistake.
The sin of man is the sexual urge for the same sex.
From time to time a terrible shadow flashed across my chest. At first it would come at me from outside by accident. I was surprised. I was horrified. But after a while, my mind began to respond to the terrible flashes. Eventually, I began to feel as if it had been lurking in the depths of my heart since birth, not coming from outside. Every time I had this feeling, I would wonder if something was wrong with my head. But I didn't feel like seeing a teacher or anyone else.
I just felt a deep sense of human sin. It is this feeling that makes me go to K's grave every month. That feeling makes me nurse my wife's mother. And that feeling tells me to be kind to my wife. I have even wanted to be flogged by a stranger on the street because of this feeling.
The more I go through these steps, the more I feel that I should whip myself rather than be whipped by others, and the more I think that I should kill myself rather than whip myself. ("Kokoro," Soseki Natsume)
It is something that has been lurking in the depths of my heart since birth, a human sin... Isn't it a bit light to simply attribute it to homosexuality? The teacher even said, "You should kill yourself.
The red shirt and the noda are indeed defeated by "me," but "me" is madly in love with Uranari-kun. It doesn't mean that he should kill himself. Tsuda and Kobayashi don't even seem to be offended. Homosexuality is a human sin, a sin that must die, a horrible shadow, a terrible flash of light... I'm not quite sure what to make of this.
I think you need to read this part with logic, not with your senses. First of all, my sense of myself and my teacher, and my sense of myself and K are totally different. To be honest, I don't think you need to worry so much about it. That's just my feeling.
Here is the theory. The reason why the teacher has such a frightening power is that he is so greedy. But the fact that he is frightened by this greed and exaggerates the sense of human sin is a sign that he has a high sense of morality and ethics. This logic also applies to K. His suicide is not rational, but K is a noble person to the point of irrationality. The deaths of K, General Nogi, and Sensei are all exaggerated, but that doesn't mean that they are exaggerated in our senses and that their sense of mission and guilt is unnatural based on the logic created by their sense of morality and ethics.
It's not that there are no such people, but that there are all kinds of people.
There are people who jump into the Kegon Falls because it is inexplicable. There is no point in complaining about it.
However, if you have only platonic love, and you have a deep sense of guilt because you think you have cheated on K, what kind of situation is it when you are held down by a strong force to prevent you from working? In fact, the nursing of her mother-in-law is done as an atonement for her sins.
The teacher is trapped by three things. The first is resentment toward his uncle for stealing his inheritance. The first is a grudge against his uncle for stealing his inheritance, which is like a grudge against Kenzo for failing to give him a silver watch. The other two strange things are the jealousy of the Masagocho incident and the black shadow. If this black shadow is the teacher, and if it is horrible to think that the teacher did not die, then it seems to make sense that the teacher did not cry.
I soon fell into a peaceful sleep. But suddenly I was awakened by a voice calling my name. I looked up and saw the sliding door of the room open two feet and K's black shadow standing there. The light was still burning in his room, just like in the evening. The world had suddenly changed, and for a few moments I was unable to speak, staring blankly at the scene.
I asked K if he had gone to bed, he was always up late. He was a man who was always up late. I turned to K, who looked like a black shadow, and asked him what he wanted. (Kokoro, Soseki Natsume)
If it is myself as a sinner who follows the teacher around, then this black shadow of K is a pretender. I had always believed that this black shadow was K. "Behind me there is always K. I always had a black shadow behind me. So it's as if I was possessed by K. But what if this wasn't K?
I will not hesitate to cast the shadows of the dark human world over your head. But don't be afraid. Stare at the dark things and take what is helpful to you from them. My darkness is more ethical than solid. I am an ethically born man. I was born an ethical man, and I was raised an ethical man. My ethical views may be very different from those of today's young people. But no matter how wrong they are, they are my own. It is not a piece of clothing that I borrowed from someone else. So I think it will be somewhat helpful to you who are trying to develop. (Kokoro, Soseki Natsume)
This dark shadow of the human world is probably not about K. It is a picture of the life of an ethically born teacher. It means that we should take what we can learn from him. I guess you could call it a counter-teacher. He writes that both he and his uncle became sinners before money. That's why he told "me" to get the inheritance as soon as possible. It's the same logic as Hiroyuki's statement that you should save money first, otherwise you will become a fool.
I had decided to live as if I were dead, and my mind would occasionally flutter with the stimuli of the outside world. But as soon as I decided to cut loose in any direction, a terrible force would come out of nowhere and grip my heart so tightly that I could not move an inch. Then the force would tell me that I was a man unworthy of doing anything. And with that one word, I immediately wilt. After a while, I try to stand up again, but it tightens up again. I grit my teeth and yell at him, "Why are you interfering with me? The mysterious force laughs in a chilling voice. You know what you're doing.
You know what you're doing," it says. I gulp again. (Kokoro, Soseki Natsume)
This is the first time I've ever read this book. This abstract expression smacks of erectile dysfunction. But that's not enough for me. I've tried to replace it with various words, but I can't find anything that fits the description of a frightening shadow, a tremendous spark, or a mysterious power. After all, it is a mysterious power.
I believe that this is the essence of a person who becomes a villain before money. However, children do not understand money, so their innate nature is egoism. The desire for money arises from egoism. Babies cry differently when they are hungry and when their diapers are wet. I was once surprised by a kitten that mewed very loudly. Living things have such a desperate nature. I don't know if I would call this a sin, but what do I think?
However, since egoism is a force that tries to live in the first place, we don't have to die for the power to live. It's a human sin to try to live, and it's odd that such a thing would be a terrible spark.
I don't think anything this serious has ever appeared in Soseki's works before. Egoism is not the only thing that fits into this seriousness. It even seems to capture a truly fundamental evil, original sin.
When I think about it, this "I" thought is a strange one.
However, why don't we think that the teacher's very oblivious nature is manifested here?
The terrific flash of inspiration was, "Oh, shoot. I'm a person of platonic love, but I inadvertently married a man for his wealth and killed K. I can't forgive my uncle for being a sinner before money, but I did the same thing to him. I can't forgive my uncle who became a sinner before money, but I did the same thing as my uncle. I can't be one with Shizu because I have no desire for flesh whether I'm young or old in the first place..." I think it was something like that.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Why don't teachers work?
Teachers don't work, do they? That's because they don't need to work to make a living. There are many people who write about the reasons why they don't work, but I think it is not so difficult to explain.
In fact, my teacher would sometimes take an old classmate who is now famous and give him or her a very blunt criticism. So I bluntly pointed out the inconsistencies and told him so. My spirit was not one of defiance, but more of regret that the world did not know him better. At that time, the teacher said in a somber tone, "I can't help it, I am a man who is not qualified to work for the world. A deep kind of expression was etched on his face. I didn't know whether it was disappointment, complaint, or sorrow, but it was so strong that I couldn't dare to say anything else.
I couldn't find the courage to say anything else.
While I was talking to his wife, the question naturally fell on him.
I wondered why he did all his thinking and studying at home and never went out into the world to work.
"He can't do that. He hates that kind of thing.
You mean, he realizes it's all a bunch of nonsense?
I don't know if he realizes it or not - I don't know, I'm a woman - but I don't think he means it. I think you want to do something. But they can't do it. I feel sorry for him.
But you don't seem to have anything wrong with your health, do you?
I'm fine. I'm fine. I don't have any chronic illnesses.
Then why can't you work?
That's what you don't understand, my dear. If I could understand it, I wouldn't be so worried. I feel sorry for you because you don't understand.
Some people may think that "Sensei is at home lazing around," but in reality, he is at home thinking and studying. In this respect, he is different from Tsuda in "Meian" who has half a year to spare with the same Western books. However, I don't intend to go out in the open, and I won't post anything on "note. I'm not going to post anything in the digital reform idea box. I don't work because I'm not qualified. I don't work because I don't have the qualifications. This lack of qualifications is described elsewhere as a very serious mental function.
My mind, determined to live as if I were dead, would sometimes flutter with the stimuli of the outside world. But as soon as I decided to cut loose in any direction, a terrible force would come out of nowhere and grip my mind so tightly that I could not move an inch. Then the force would tell me that I was a man unworthy of doing anything. And with that one word, I immediately wilt. After a while, I try to stand up again, but it tightens up again. I grit my teeth and yell at him, "Why are you interfering with me? The mysterious force laughs in a chilling voice. You know what you're doing.
You know what you're doing," it says. I gulp again. (Kokoro, Soseki Natsume)
It is important that we do not make this "sometimes I was frightened by the stimulus of the outside world" a sexual urge. Homosexuals can also write works. The "external stimuli" would be the writings of an "old classmate who is now famous. A Westerner with one monkey leg is a trick. He wasn't too thrilled with the fritillary "I" either. But he never gave up his intellectual curiosity. When he thought that he could write something better than this, a black shadow appeared to tell him that he was a man who was not qualified to do anything. This black shadow is the conscience of the teacher, isn't it? In other words, he must be thinking that if I were to approach the world, I might end up being applauded by the public for producing works that are more impressive than those of my old classmates who are now famous. They think that the person who did that will not be able to get away with it. It's not that he can't work because he's gay.
Is K honest?
K is a man who is not afraid to deceive his adoptive family. He won't tell his teachers about what his adoptive family did to him. He says he doesn't have any friends. So, it's a bit of a painful interpretation, but I can't completely rule out the possibility that K was playing along. In other words, K's confession of love was a lie, and what she was looking for was a teacher, who she congratulated because she was lonely after her teacher was taken away by her daughter. When he saw the teacher sleeping peacefully on the west pillow, he thought that his wish would never reach her.
But then again, the meaning of "preparedness" and "just right, do it" changes. It is not an impossible interpretation, but it is a painful one. It is also true that there is room for this kind of interpretation, as Soseki's style of writing does not require everyone to be in the same boat.
It is true that there is something of a framework for the work "Kokoro" here.
The teacher, who I don't remember ever having come and gone for pleasure, had an effect on my head at some point, more than the familiarity that comes from pleasurable companionship. I would like to rephrase the word "chest" because "head" is too cold. It seemed to me at the time that I was not exaggerating in the slightest when I said that his power was eating into my flesh and his life was flowing in my blood. The fact that my father was my real father, and my teacher was a complete stranger, needless to say, when I put it all together in front of me, surprised me as if I had discovered a great truth for the first time. (Kokoro, Soseki Natsume)
What is the meaning of this sensation, that the power of the teacher is feeding into the flesh, but the life of the teacher is flowing in the blood? It is difficult to see this as simply carnal desire, isn't it? It's more than just the familiarity that comes from pleasurable companionship. I can feel a parental connection. I think this is a confession of what has not been written. So far, I have assumed that the interaction between the teacher and K is not written in the story, but if the interaction is depicted in this sense, it would make sense, wouldn't it? I don't write about it directly, but I have a feeling that I had a connection with my teacher.
However, this is also a contradiction, because K had abstained from carnal desire, so it is unlikely that there was any ordinary contact in the hidden areas.
So what happens? There is no other way but to bring in Haruki Murakami. The bizarre ideas of sub-space sperm skip and dream rape that appeared in "1Q84" and "Tsukuru Tasaki without Color and His Year of Pilgrimage" may be just a thought about the masterpiece of the far more bizarre Meiji era writer Soseki Natsume.
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