Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit

Modern Japan has its roots in the installment of the Meiji government in 1868. Prior to this period Japan had an isolationist poli!y and upon removing this poli!y there "as an influ# of Western ideas into the nation. $uring this time almost every fa!et of Japanese !ulture and so!iety "as affe!ted %y the in!reasing !onta!t "ith the Western nations. &his in!luded Western s!ientifi! 'no"ledge and te!hnology for medi!ine transportation and military( so!ial and politi!al theory for !entrali)ed government and nationalism( and the !ultural artifa!ts of the West su!h as literature musi! and painting *+e!ture 1,-.. Mori /gai "as a Japanese "riter during this period and his short story 0&he $an!ing 1irl2 illustrates this transition %et"een !ultures. Partly an auto%iographi!al "or' the story is a%out a Japanese e#!hange student named /ta &oyotaro "ho re!ounts his e#perien!es in 3erlin and spe!ifi!ally his %etrayal of his 1erman lover Elise. 4n this paper 4 "ill analy)e those t"o main !hara!ters and argue that their !ontrasting !hara!teri)ations are rooted in Western !ulture5s influen!e on Japan during the late 1-th !entury. good thesis statement /ta &oyotaro the story5s main !hara!ter "as an a!ademi! prodigy sin!e at a young age re!eiving top mar's "hile he studied at a university in &o'yo. 3e!ause he "as so gifted he "as sent a%road to 3erlin to study su%je!ts pertaining to his government position. 3ut despite his talents he suffered from la!' of strong "ill and inde!isiveness and as a result his %ehavior "as essentially di!tated %y outside immediate influen!es. When he hastily agrees to a!!ompany Count 6ma'ata to 7ussia he says 4 must !onfess that 4 did not ans"er as the result of a 8ui!' de!ision. When 4 am suddenly as'ed a 8uestion %y someone "hom 4 trust 4 instantly agree "ithout "eighing up the !onse8uen!es. 9ot only do 4 agree %ut despite 'no"ing ho"

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit diffi!ult the matter "ill %e 4 often hide my initial thoughtlessness %y persevering and !arrying it out. */gai 18. &his attitude of his is refle!ted not only "ith the !ount %ut "ith almost all other !hara!ters in the %oo': his mother pushed him to study hard( 6i)a"a a friend urged him to leave to Japan( and Elise "ho over"helmingly pushed her love to him. Hen!e %e!ause he a!ts a!!ording to e#ternal pressures he feels distressed "hen those pressures !lash illustrated "hen the !ount personally as'ed him to !ome to Japan %ut Elise "as pregnant "ith his !hild. &his feeling of !ontradi!tion leads to /ta5s desire for "hat he !onsiders true freedom. ;or him freedom "as not material freedom or pursuing talents %ut %eing a%le to dis!ern one5s true desires and a!ting upon them. 4t "as only upon %eing e#posed to the West that he reali)ed he "as not a free %eing. /n page 1< he re!ounts 3ut all that time 4 had %een a mere passive me!hani!al %eing "ith no real a"areness of myself. 9o" ho"ever at the age of t"enty=five perhaps %e!ause 4 had %een e#posed to the li%eral "ays of the university for some time there gre" "ithin me a 'ind of uneasiness( it seemed as if my real self "hi!h had %een lying dormant deep do"n "as gradually appearing on the surfa!e and threatening my former assumed self. */gai. 4n this passage he reali)es that in the "ay he has lived up until that point only o%eying the plans of others he did not have any real a"areness of himself as a human %eing. &hus he yearned to %e an individual "ho possesses and pursues his o"n "ill. &his yearning manifested at first as "ritten arguments for this freedom in his reports %a!' to Japan then eventually to his ines!apa%le love affair "ith Elise. &he !hara!teri)ation Elise stands out due to the !ontrast from that of /ta &oyotaro outlined a%ove %e!ause she stands opposite to his position in nearly all aspe!ts. When he

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit en!ounters her !rying she immediately tells him that she is too poor to hold her o"n father5s funeral */gai 1>.. ?he then ta'es him to her home and an array of imagery depi!ts her life in poverty for she is merely a dan!er an o!!upation removed not far from slavery */gai 1@.. &his stands in !ontrast to /ta "ho "as %rought up "ith impressive a!!olades and a!ademi! re!ord that landed him a government position. 6nother star' !ontrast is in their personalities. ?he is idealisti! and does not hesitate to put her life on the line in pursuit of her desires. ?he does not hesitate to e#press her deep affe!tion for /ta and rashly a!t on it. When /ta had left for 7ussia she "rites to him that 0Aher depression and sense of loneliness "ere "orse than the time "hen she had %een s!rat!hing a living and had not 'no"n "here the ne#t meal "as !oming from2 */gai 1-.. Hen!e she stresses that their relationship meant so mu!h to her that it "as as if it "as sustaining her very life. 6t this point one !an argue that she "anted /ta for his so!ial status and "ealth %ut then if she had "anted money she !ould have given in to her theater manager "hen he offered to help "ith her father5s funeral only if he !ould ta'e advantage of Elise */gai 1B.. ?o it is more li'ely that her affe!tions for /ta "ere driven %y her ideals of inno!ent love that they shared for ea!h other. 4n fa!t she %elieved in their love so mu!h that "hen she had %e!ome pregnant "ith /ta5s !hild she even let herself get fired from the theater instead %e!oming more e#!ited for the un%orn !hild */gai 18.. ;rom all of these e#amples it is !lear that despite her so!ial and e!onomi! status she maintains her ideals of her relationship "ith /ta and does not fear a!ting upon those ideals all of "hi!h em%odies the freedom of spirit that /ta desired in himself %ut !ould never maintain. 1iven the histori!al %a!'ground that this %oo' "as "ritten the !ontrast %et"een the !hara!teri)ations of these t"o !hara!ters seems to refle!t on Mori /gai5s per!eption of the a%sorption of the Western !ulture %y the Japanese. /ta a "ea'="illed person represents Japan that "as first rising as a modern nation. Elise on the other hand represents the West

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit that seemed to %e genuinely free. When Meiji 7estoration "as underta'en Japanese intelle!tuals loo'ed to the West for ideas on te!hnology s!ien!e and so!ial stru!ture among many others. /ne purpose of this "as to !reate a national identity for Japan and in order to do so it had to adopt modern ideas to %e a!!epted %y other modern nations *+e!ture 1,-.. 4n this sense /ta5s desire for freedom refle!ts ho" Japan had "anted to move on from %eing a !ountry that "as just a !olony to an independent nation that "as at least on e8ual footing "ith other modern nations. 3ut /ta having a "ea'er "ill than Elise points to another relationship %et"een Japan and the Western po"ers in that Japan "as reserved as a nation "ith an isolationist poli!y %efore the Commodore Perry arrived and for!efully esta%lished trade posts *+e!ture 1,-.. Hen!e the relationship %et"een /ta and Elise signifies ho" the West sought Japan to open its %orders %ut also provided the means for Japan to rise as a modern nation. &he eventual tragedy %et"een /ta and Elise also has a histori!al signifi!an!e. When the !ount offered /ta to return to Japan he "rites 4f 4 did not ta'e this !han!e 4 might lose not only my homeland %ut also the very means %y "hi!h 4 might retrieve my good name. 4 "as suddenly stru!' %y the thought that 4 might die in this sea of humanity in this vast European !apital. */gai >1. &his passage illustrates /ta5s reali)ation of "here his home really "as and the vastness of the alienation he felt living in 3erlin. /f !ourse in the story he agrees to leave Elise to go %a!' to Japan. &his represents ho" in order to develop her o"n national identity Japan !annot only emulate the Western !ulture in its entirety %ut must develop her o"n %e!ause follo"ing the e#amples of the Western nations only served to %e!ome a part of the West not to emerge as distin!t from it. /ne e#ample of this is ho" 9atsume ?ose'i another author from the early Meiji period started out studying English literature in 1reat 3ritain %ut %e!ame an opponent of Japan

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit mirroring European styles as it "as to him futile *+e!ture 1,>1.. &hus despite the great ideas of the West Japan had to find its future in her o"n soil as /ta had "hen he left 1ermany. &hus in 0&he $an!ing 1irl2 Mori /gai uses his t"o !hara!ters /ta &oyotaro and Elise to illustrate ho" the !ultural identity of Japan "as influen!ed %y and intera!ted "ith the Western nations. He %egins "ith /ta desiring to o%tain spiritual freedom and to over!ome his "ea'="illed nature "hi!h represents the !ultural attitude of Japan at the %eginning of the Meiji period. Elise on the other hand seemed to %e free and a!ted almost for!efully in passion and inno!en!e "hi!h represents the Western nations "ho "ere po"erful see'ing to enter Japan and open up her %orders. &he resulting relationship "hi!h satiates /ta5s desire for spiritual freedom illustrates the a%sorption of Western !ulture %y the elites of Japan to sate their desire for moderni)ation. &heir separation and /ta5s return to Japan represents ho" Japan fo!used its national identity on her o"n soil instead of the Western !ulture. /ne interesting aspe!t of this analysis is that /ta had a higher so!ial and e!onomi! standing than Elise even though the Western po"ers had greater military and e!onomi! po"er at the time. &his !ould indi!ate that /gai had intended this pie!e to %e read as a su%tle nationalisti! "riting to empo"er the Japanese. &his is a plausi%le sin!e he "as an army surgeon and Japan "as rising as an imperialist po"er. Whatever may have %een the !ase it is !lear that the mu!h of the story is rooted in ho" Japan "as affe!ted !ulturally %y the West during the late 1-th !entury. 4 li'e your reading C you ma'e a strong argument "ith great integration of !ertain aspe!ts of the te#t. Dour !onsideration of the differen!e %et"een Elise and /ta in their !on!eptions of love and freedom is fantasti! . 4n the end 4 don5t agree "ith your histori!al argument %e!ause 4 find it diffi!ult to see Elise serving as a model for "estern ideals. ?he5s not really an ideal !hara!ter in terms of her poverty and so!ial station. Dou ma'e your argument "ell though.

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit Clarity of theme,thesis and argument Coheren!e and effe!tiveness of "riting 4nsight and a!uity 4ntegration of literary sour!es &/&6+ 8 1< 1< 1< B8

Hiro Jung Essay 1 for Writing Credit

Wor's Cited Jesty Justin. E+e!tures 1,- = 1,>1.E +e!ture. EMori /gai E&he $an!ing 1irlEE The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature. Ed. J. &homas 7imer and Fan C. 1essel. 9e" Dor': Colum%ia GP ><11. 9. pag. Print.