The Cape by kenji nakajami - Essay Example

These people lived in isolated places outside the main city. The works usually given to burakumins are lowly jobs such as slaughter jobs, tanners, construction workers and butchers. Because of the discrimination, prevalent social and gender issues were noticeable. People engage in vices such as drinking, smoking and sex. Engaging in incest relationships also occur because they live in extended families. Violence was also prevalent. The protagonist tended to escape the harsh reality of life even though the surrounding characters and environment pull him down.

He did not know much about his father but he did now want to live the way his father did. As he struggled more towards improvement of his life, the more he became down and much like his father. He slept with his half sister who was a whore. He was engaged in sex, drugs and alcohol. All vices were extensively depicted in the novel. All diseases of the society are undeniably seen in the novel as the characters live in isolation and discrimination is unstoppable. Living in isolation is really a great discrimination since all men are created equal but prejudices in life hinder the equality for all.

The burakumins live in their ghetto and do not even have much access to the society unlike ordinary citizens have. They are seen as dirty and lowly jobs are for them. Few of them have reached high school level but the majority were not able to finish elementary education. Why is it that the discrimination has been inherited from their ancestors? Feudal era had been long gone but the discrimination and generalization regarding the image of burakumins still lived on. It is like the isolation of people with a dreaded disease like leprosy in other countries in the ancient times.

Maybe, the discriminated people are not as isolated as the lepers but the treatment that the burakumins receive is very poor. In response to the discrimination, burakumins are not able to improve their lives; their environment exhibits much of the social evils as most people would describe them. They do not live in extravagant homes but in simple houses grouped together separated from the rest of the society. Some may have honest jobs but the pay is not sufficient for their needs. Despite the poverty striking their neighborhood, they still have time for vices and the bad habits are unstoppable.

The remaining money is spent on gambling, alcohol, sex and drugs and there is no hope for them to improve their lives. They use the vices as scapegoats for their problems. They tend to “cure” themselves by indulging into more alcohol, drugs and even crimes later on. It seems that the government neglected the minority of the population. These people are citizens in any case and should be entitled to all of the benefits a citizen enjoys. They should have better livelihood to sustain and support themselves.

Great rehabilitation must be done for the members who are addicted to vices and reduce crimes by free access to higher education. They should be able to start again and forget about the dark past. It is not that important if their past was filled with violence and so-called “social evil” as long as they are willing to change for the better. The novel shows that sex had became part of the lifestyle of the people living in ghettos because they are desperate to earn a living. Even if the job is dirty, they will do it.

Since the income is not enough, they quarrel over money and the family relationships are at stake. Brothers, sisters and in-laws