Yukio Mishima's Patriotism and Other Literary Masterpieces - Book Report/Review Example

World Lit Report: Yukio Mishima's "Patriotism" A literary work invariably tells something autobiographical about the author, howsoever cleverly the author might try to sweep it under the carpet. Mishima frequented gay bars in Japan. Conflicting views are expressed about his sexual orientation. Jiro Fukushima has claimed homosexual relationships with Mishima and he tenders the evidence of their mutual correspondence. This was legally contested with success by Mishima’s children stating that it is the violation of Mishima’s privacy. Mishima married Yoko Sugiyama on June 11, 1958 and she bore him two children. Noriko, the daughter was born on June 2, 1959 and their son Ichiro was born on May 2, 1962. Before his marriage, his brief martial alliance with Michiko Shoda was a hotly discussed topic. She later became the wife of Emperor Akihito. Critics concur that his first successful publication Confessions of a Mask, is actually his own story. It is about a young homosexual. He married and had children to get himself assimilated in the established traditions of the Japanese society. Violence, sexuality and a romantic longing for a noble (yet gory) death were part of Mishima’s real life and the same have been depicted in the novel. He lived outside the cultural stream of Japan and at the same he was a great lover of Japanese traditions and culture and his love for the Emperor of Japan was legendary. This is an un-explainable contradiction of his personality. They say, God loves those who die young. Was it the case with Mishima? Did God love him for his extraordinary actions? Were they devilish or divine? It is difficult to come to a fixed conclusion about this versatile genius. At the age of forty-give he was an international literary figure and a superhuman personality. This man possessed several traits that are difficult to analyze. Prof. John Nathan, (2000) who was very close to this enigmatic author, writes, “I don’t believe necessarily that the ardent nationalism of his final years was a hoax. But it does seem to me that his suicide was in essence private, not social, erotic, and not patriotic. I do not claim that my account is whole truth. I do believe it to be true.”(Preface, xv)Was such a lively personality like Mishima, in search of the ultimate pain of death by seppuku? Psycho-analysis of such an individual is extremely complicated. Was his homosexuality an indicator of his serious mental illness? The answer is again confusing. Arranged marriages Arranged marriages were the rule in the traditional Japanese society. Notice the age difference of eight years between Shinji and Reiko in the story. Generally, a matchmaker or a go-between intervenes in arranging marriages. The go-between in this marriage is a very important person, with a top army rank, Lieutenant General Ozeki. After marriage, a wife is expected to take on the responsibilities of occupation of the husband. Currently, the tradition of arranged marriages has undergone much change and they are up to 50% of the total marriages. The “code of samurai” (honor, loyalty, intelligence and integrity) This is the story of a young army officer and his wife. The theme of this story is loyalty and keeping faith to traditions. It upholds the values of Japanese culture against the onslaught of Western influences on family life. Describing the Japanese Samurai code, De Mente (2005) writes, “Over generations, the culture of the samurai became so deeply embedded in the consciousness of the Japanese that it was difficult if not impossible, for them to think outside of its parameters. The control it exercised over their attitudes and behavior was virtually infinite.”(Introduction, xiv) Physical power alone was not the hallmark of samurai culture. Its emphasis was on the total personality of the human being. De Mente further writes, “…the Japanese approach to life combined developing physical skill as well as spirituality…..whether taught by parent, teacher, or craft master, every skill was instilled with its own special spiritual component that frequently transcended the physical realm.”(2, 3) The lieutenant has implicit faith on his wife. He did not act like a suspicious husband and in the ordinary course any husband, in such a situation of death by mutual pact, would have killed the wife first. As for the personal life of Mishima, his concern and love for maintaining his body was spectacular. He followed a disciplined regimen of body-building and then he took to photographing his shapely body in different poses. His loyalty to the emperor was obsessive. He formed his private army called the Shield Society. He decided the date of his death. On November 25, 1970, he along with his four followers reached the headquarters of Japanese Self-Defense Force. As planned, he read a “manifesto” and committed seppuku—ritual disembowelment. One of his followers chopped his head off. Nathan describes the gory incident thus: “When he had driven the blade into his left side drawn it across his abdomen, he grunted a signal to the cadet standing behind him; then cadet beheaded him with a long sword, completing the ritual.”(Preface, xiii) Seppuku/Harakiri The story elucidates the tragic type of patriotism of the highest order. Responding to a situation, the young lieutenant Shinji Takeyama of the Konoe Transport Battalion comes to the conclusion that his patriotism and honor are at stake, though not directly related to his own acts of commission and omission, he decided to opt for the ultimate commitment that is expected of an army officer, the life itself! When he comes to know that his closest friends have turned mutineers, it was too much for him to bear. His wife, Reiko, lives up to the final challenge, exhibits what is true love and loyalty to husband is all about and she too readies to end her life and stabs herself to death. Mishima(1995) quotes the lieutenant’s farewell note which consisted of one sentence: “Long live the Imperial Forces.” (3) He further writes, “The last moments of this heroic and dedicated couple were such as to make the gods themselves weep.”(4)The author mentions about his wife’s after apologies for the un-filial conduct in thus preceding her parents to the grave, concluded: “The day which, for a soldier’s wife, had to come, has come….” (3, 4) “The two main characters commit suicide by means of the ritualistic samurai death, harakiri. This is common knowledge to the Japanese people, while it seems horrible and grotesque to people of the Western world. Many of the domestic dynamics that are normal in the story are also making reference to Japanese culture from pre-World War II Japan. The traditional dress and bathing rituals seem foreign to members not of the Japanese society.” (Yukio Mishima….) The suicides were not committed in a desperate state of mind. Even while opting for such a gory death, methodical stages were followed by the couple and their lives were sacrificed at the altar of the Nation. They make love for the last time before committing the ritual suicide, seppuku. It is a golden rule for an army officer that if one cannot live honorably, one should die with honor. Related to the government/culture Does Mishima defend imperialism of Japan? Does he argue for its continuance? He does it positively. To him, imperialism symbolizes reverence for Japanese culture and traditions. According to him, they can be properly evaluated with reference to allegiance of the Japanese people to the throne, not otherwise. A Japanese soldier can never forget the glory of their ancient history related to the loyalty, honor and patriotism that govern the lives of ancient samurais and the soldiers of the Imperial Army. Each and every molecule of the Japanese being is surcharged with love and loyalty to the government, which is the highest step of ladder of success in one’s life. Love for family comes next. Many Japanese supported Mishima’s viewpoint that material progress has eaten the soul of Japan. It has left bad imprints on the nation’s character. Elucidating this point further De Mente writes, “The samurai government of Japan failed to survive the opening of the country to the outside world because its primary tenets were incompatible with a profit-making economy, with individualism and personal initiative, and with change—not to mention its basic inhumanity.”(Introduction, xv) But the roots of the Japanese samurai culture are very strong. De Mente observes, “By the year 2000, the unofficial revival of the samurai spirit had begun in earnest, and was taking a number of forms. One of these forms was a movement, especially among the young and women in particular, to return to the philosophical and spiritual code of the samurai culture by taking up training with the sword, long the primary symbol of the warrior class.”(Introduction, xvii) How the modern younger generation has taken to the challenges of the western business trends, which are sweeping over the commercial world of Japan? De Mente observes, “Another difference between today’s samurai businessmen and the warriors of the past is that they are at their best when they are free to make decisions based on their professional experience and skills.”(6) A brief/comparison/contrast with our own idea of patriotism Is patriotism so blind? It should not be! Why did the individuals who sacrificed their life and what their country gained in the process? An innocent life of youthful woman was also sacrificed at the so-called alter of patriotism. That was meaningless. He should have exposed his colleagues through the military/legal platforms and helped the due process of law. How can an individual or a group of individuals who betray the country be termed as friends? Their actions made them the enemies of the country and those who loved their country. The affairs of the military are run as per military discipline. Human sentiments and attachments have no place there. No extraneous issues are worth the consideration, when one means duty. The glorification of the suicide by Mishima has no meaning. The novel may strike an emotional note, Mishima writes well from the point of view of language and literature, but in substance, the story of these suicides doesn’t inspire readers viewed from any angle. Its connotation is negative, and no useful message is given to the society by such a plotline. Works Cited De Mente, Boye Lafayette. The Japanese Samurai Code: Classic Strategies for Success; Tuttle Publishing, March 15, 2005. Nathan, John. Mishima: A Biography; Da Capo Press, April 4, 2000. Mishima, Yukio (Author), Sargent, Geoffrey W. (Translator).Patriotism; New Directions Publishing Corporation, November 1995 Yukio Mishima Cached – Similar Retrieved on July 16, 2010 Read More