A Portrayal Of Psychological Decay Through The Lens Of Oppression

Set in countries recovering from the devastation wrought by the Second World War, both Yasunari Kawabata's novella "Thousand Cranes" and Mario Vargas Llosa's novel "Aunt Julia and the scri ptwriter" explore the themes of exogenous and self-imposed oppression. The authors invoke the intricate relation between oppression and psychological decay, to convening the way oppression sets the foundations upon which decay manifests itself. The following essay will examine the elements of decay and oppression in the two works, reconciling the causative relationship between oppression and decay. In Yasunari Kawabata's "Thousand Cranes", the oppressive scars left behind by the protagonist's father's turbulent affairs lead to self-imposed oppression within Kikuji Mitani, and ultimately result in his progressive psychological decay and hinted-at suicide. On a different level, Mario Vargas Llosa's novel "Aunt Julia and the scri ptwriter" explores the means through which decaying character strength leads to an exacerbation of the effects of oppression and ultimately to apoptosis.

In Yasunari Kawabata's novella, Thousand Cranes, the most notable effects of oppression lie in the behavior of the protagonist, Kikuji Mitani. In particular, in relation to his formative years of development, Kikuji's early years were marked by a submissive mother and an authoritarian father whose unfaithful behavior poisons the family unit. In his late adolescence, two of the father's mistresses -Chikako Kurimoto and Mrs. Ota- leave permanent oppressive scars on the protagonist's psyche. Chikako Kurimoto, whose physical defect -a birthmark on her chest- had caused Kikuji great discomfort as a child, becomes a force of oppression on Kikuji through the meddling presence she imposes on the family's life. A symbol of oppression, Kurimoto's "purple-black mark [.] as large as the palm of one's hand" is perceived by Kikuji as a stigma on Chikako's femininity and as a repellent of masculine attention. The author characteristically remarks: "Kikuji never forgot the mark. He could sometimes imagine even that his own destinies were enmeshed in its darkness." Even after the fleeting affair ends, Kurimoto continues to be present at the family's home, thus hindering the family's potential for unity. In Kikuji's adulthood, an invitation to a tea ceremony -in fact planned as a pre-arranged wife choosing ritual unbeknownst to the protagonist- puts Kurimoto again at the forefront of scheming. The continuing oppressive presence of the woman on Kikuji's life sets the wheels of the plot in motion and suggests that oppression is not transient but that it bears permanent imprints on the psyche. Furthermore, the father's second mistress, who also scars Kikuji's childhood, later evolves into the greatest source of oppression for Kikuji. Mrs. Ota is a married woman, whose affair with Mr. Mitani devastates Kikuji's mother and hinders his own happiness. As a testament to the resilience of oppression, this affair is, in years to come, bequeathed to Kikuji, who develops a sinister attraction to Mrs. Ota; the two embark on a passionate affair. The affection harbored by his father for Mrs. Ota permeates Kikuji's mind as he and the latter meet for dinner. "A soft affection enveloped [Kikuji]. It came to him that his father had been happy [with Mrs. Ota]", remarks the very author of the protagonist's motivation for pursuing an affair with the woman. Thus, with the oppressive shadow of his father's deeds weighing on his conscience, Kikuji embarks on a relationship with the woman. However, "with regret came [the sense of] defilement and revulsion, and a violent wave of self-loathing swept over him" ; Kikuji finds himself sinking into self-imposed oppression. Hence, while Mrs. Ota oppressed the young Kikuji through her hindering his mother's happiness and causing the family great discomfort, their affair will once again wring oppression on the adult Kikuji- this time, that of shame and self-loathing.

Mario Vargas Llosa's novel, Aunt Julia and the scri ptwriter, also examines the causative relationship between oppression and decay. In this work, however, the source of oppression appears to be more endogenous than imposed by an outside environment. Unlike Kikuji -whose family environment guides him to isolation and loathing- Bolivian Pedro Camacho (the titular scri ptwriter) is led to decay by his own character traits of perfectionism, mania, avid imagination and insecurity. The oppression caused by the aforementioned traits later renders Camacho vulnerable to outward oppression, and culminates in his decay. Camacho is portrayed primarily as the archetypal eccentric artist. In contrast with Kikuji, whose personality is subdued and nonspecific, Camacho possesses very specific character traits which render him open to oppression#. As the other protagonist of the story -Mario Vargas- observes the author working relentlessly, he remarks on the manic way in which the scri ptwriter is bound to his employment. Camacho works seemingly indefatigably, producing scri pts for various radio storytelling shows whilst maintaining the different storylines perfectly in memory. However, beyond the surface of his self-importance lurks the idea that his eccentricity is a product of insecurity and denial to come to terms with the realities of life other than those of art, rather than of pure artistic genius. The addiction to working, in conjunction with the inherent insecurity found in his scri pts (for instance, all male protagonists in the stories are "in the prime of [their] lives, [their] fifties", like Camacho) enhances the idea that creating new realities constitutes a means to escaping the issues of his own. Adding to the self-imposed oppression of his own personality lies exogenous oppression which seems to engender a feeling of isolation in the scri ptwriter; alone in a new city and constantly hounded by listeners of his stories, Camacho's insecurities increase. The inherent cultural dislike Peruvians exhibited towards Bolivians in conjunction with the demanding nature of the massive expectations that audiences developed in terms of the scri pts produced by Camacho all increase the pre-existing tendency for Camacho to over-exert himself and to plunge deeper into insecurity. Toward the end of the novel, oppressive forces tip the precarious balance of sanity the scri ptwriter stands upon, and the subsequent muddling of his storylines foreshadows the onset of decay. The two works approach decay in different ways, maintaining motifs and character traits which were present at the inception of the respective plotlines. In both works and in terms of character and constancy of thought, decay appears to be a predictable result of outward and self-originating oppression. Isolated from society and unable to escape Kurimoto's meddling presence, decay begins to take over Kikuji; he gradually grows frantic in his actions, yet proves unable to break free of his bonds. In this spirit, Kikuji cannot bring himself to throw away two tea bowls (shared by Mrs. Ota and his father) smashed by Mrs. Ota's daughter. In much the same way as Kikuji, Camacho also becomes progressively more frantic in attempting to conceal the onset of decay; in a frenzy, he decides to write gargantuan catastrophes in all the scri pts which are playing on the radio, so as to eliminate all characters and start afresh, without his memory betraying him. The most marked symbol of decay for both protagonists is their very inability to grasp happiness throughout, despite the ease of choosing to do so. For Camacho, the applauding crowds and friendly work environment -composed of coworkers who respected and catered to all his eccentricities- represented happiness to which the scri ptwriter was oblivious. For Kikuji, a mysterious figure in the novella, the girl who was presented to him during Kurimoto's staged tea ceremony (referred to as "the Inamura girl") represents the possibility of his attaining fulfillment. Despite the ease of proposing marriage to her, Kikuji still feels attracted to Mrs. Ota, to the effect that his opportunity for contentment is nullified. The handkerchief the Inamura girl wears, imprinted with a pattern of a thousand cranes, reflects the romantic wistfulness characterizing her countenance in the eyes of Kikuji; a countenance which will forever remain out of reach for him. Finally, on a similar platform but on different planes, both protagonists ultimately experience decay as loss of all they valued; for Kikuji, his mistress and subsequently the woman he realizes he has grown to love, for Camacho his work, his income, his only friend and -most importantly- his talent. Kikuji's decay intensifies when Mrs. Ota is revealed to have been driven by guilt and shame into taking her own life. As the novel draws to a close, Kikuji unconsciously transfers his passion for Mrs. Ota onto her young daughter, Fumiko. Upon realizing that he loves Fumiko, Kikuji impetuously rushes to her house; there, it is hinted that she may have also committed suicide. The ultimate chapter of the novel reveals the probability of Kikuji's suicide. The act is never confirmed by Kawabata, indicating that decay becomes an autonomous entity at its climax, taking hold of Kikuji's life; whether the man is physically alive is thus irrelevant, given that decay has taken over his existence. Camacho, unlike Kikuji, is not impacted emotionally by decay, but rather spiritually and socially. His stay at an insane asylum leaves him -twelve years later, when the narrator chances upon him again- married to a prostitute, demoted to assistant at the radio corporation within which he used to be revered, and destitute. The coldness with which he is being treated by his former subordinates adds to the image of a man who has lost everything. Similarly to Kawabata's treatment of Kikuji's fate, Camacho does not need to be written into committing suicide; he has already lost everything, and his true self is dead. Through the fates of both protagonists, Kawabata and Llosa enforce the idea that oppression does not vanish, but simply redirects into different channels of loss. Thus, through destructive outward oppression and debilitating self-imposed insecurity, Kikuji and Camacho are shown to be ultimately weak characters, succumbing to a claustrophobic existence and proving that oppression in all its forms is the perfect platform for decay to manifest, flourish and destroy.