Confession of a Mask by Yuko Mishima - Literature review Example

Confession of a Mask “Confession of a mask” by Yuko Mishima is a story about a boy who tries to compromise with his homosexual identity to confront the world. From the very beginning of his life, the protagonist of the novel Kochan has problem with his body image. He has a weak body and did not conform himself to a masculine person. He was troubling within the society and could not represent a male image of himself. As puberty was approaching he realized that he is having affinity towards males and was admiring the image of “Joan of Arc”. The story is a representation of the pain of a man behind a mask who had to live with false identity and suppressing his sexual desire and passions. ( Thesis) Kochan is discovering he is a homosexual in a polite post was Japan. The protagonist has to wear a mask to live in the conservative Japanese society. He is finding it difficult to accept that he is unlike other young men in the society. The central character of the story is facing mental confusion as a teen and is feeling that he is alienated from the society. Homosexuality and sadomasochistic fantasies has been the issue faced by Kochan during his childhood. Kochan was having fantasy about violence, death and torture. He even day dreams about cannibalism. Kocahn is trying to prove the world about his normality hiding behind a mask which is a painful affair. The agony and suffering of this young man is the issue of the novel. Kochan has a deep relationship with his mother and after his sister’s death; his mother has been his emotional support. He is however unhappy with his life as he has feeling for a man but cannot express it in reality. Kochan had an ambition to join military but due to his weak body he was rejected for this position. Kochan tries to behave like a normal person in front of his classmates. Nevertheless, his all efforts go unsuccessful. He forces himself to attract to women and develop a kind of romantic relationship with one of his friend but it goes in vain. The sadism is a part of the novel which culminated into cannibalistic vision. According to (Redman ,1998) “Kochan, the narrator of "Confessions of a Mask," is lost for another reason. He is a homosexual who is determined to conceal his true nature from the world, and the story that he tells is an almost clinical account of congenital sexual inversion”. Kochan living during the war time is consoled by the thought that he will not have to wear mask for long because he know he will die soon. He has fallen in love more than twice but he could never reveal his passion. The novel has frustration and dissimulation throughout and discloses the shame and insecurity the young man his facing since his childhood. The novel emphasize on the social structure of Japan in the 20th century. The people growing up in Japan during World War II were in difficulty because many were living under mask. The homosexuality was a taboo in those times. Kochan lives in isolation and creates illusion to survive and pretends to have an affair with the sister of the young man who he is attracted to. Ultimately he understands that he cannot have a relationship with a woman and feels unsatisfied and unfulfilled. He has ill health from childhood and lived in fantasies of dragon and knights. He as an unusual child is fascinated about death and dying and tragic lives. The inhibitions in the community are a revelation in the story. With the puberty, Kochan is taking on his sexual component. By seeing the painting of Saint Sebastian he gets a sexual awakening. During his military school he feels attraction for a school friend named Omaha feels jealous on the strength and virility of other boys. Understanding his shortcoming he resolves to become a man and starts acting different with people to prove his masculinity. He suppresses his sexual desires and masturbates to fulfill himself. As he moves to college he is desperate to prove his attraction for women. In the mean time he starts a relationship with Sonoko who is his friend’s sister. However, he understands it is a false relationship and feels guilty about it. Here we can see the relationship conflict the young man is facing all his life. When the relationship reach to marriage, Kochan realties that he cannot love a woman and they remain friends. The story reveals how a person conceals his identity to match to the expectation of the society. The true identity of the protagonist is objectionable to the society so he adopts a persona that will give him acceptance. He lacks the qualities of a normal man and mimics the traits of a man by observing his peers. By suppressing his own impulse and pretending to be someone else he is able to infiltrate the world of normalcy. His public identity is a mere pretence and lack substance. As per (Schneider,2010 ) “Readers are given glimpses into his mind as Kochan narrates how as a boy he once tried on his mother’s kimono, only to be caught by her in the act”. The young man acts mechanically without understanding the underlying reason for his adopted behavior. The boy had to live with the pain of unacceptance in the society. The society has always been stereotypical when it comes to heterosexual relationships. The beauty violated by pain and torture becomes the thoughts of the protagonist. He becomes obsessed with body building and soon gets a feeling that he will die young. He has a fascination with sea but his inability to swim makes him feel desperate. The boy had to live with his shortcomings and faced turbulence in life to a great level. The novel is about the problems a young man facing in early lives due to sexual identity conflicts Homosexuality has always been a social taboo and people practiced homosexuality in hiding. A growing child is intimidated by his sexual identity and hides his personality to satisfy the society. Kocahn deals with the society in his own way but fails to satisfy his needs and desires as a young man. The author is trying to bring out the issues in the Asian society. Kochan hates himself as the life progresses and he constantly lose hopes in life. He feels that he cannot face the society with his homosexual nature. The title mask in the novel represents the way in which Kochan lived his life. The life of Kochan has been an artificial one and his real self was over shadowed by his false identity. The author is in one way presenting his own life to the readers through the story. Being a homosexual he committed suicide with all the repression he has faced in life. As per ( Mccarthy,2013) “The themes of physical suffering and death, often in dramatic, even sadomasochistic forms, were present in Mishima’s literature from first to last”. The character in the story Kochan is not a sole identity but many people go through such a phase in life where they have to compromise their identity. The protagonist of the story has been facing death at young age due to his homosexual identity and weak body image which made him unusual in the society .The pain, suffering and struggles of a young man who has homosexual desires is depicted in the novel in an artistic way. Work Cited McCarthy, P. (2013). Revealing the many masks of Mishima. In http://www.japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/05/books/revealing-the-many-masks-of-mishima/#.U0PtdjaKCdQ Redman, B. R. (1998). What He Had to Hide . In http://www.nytimes.com. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/mishima-mask.html Schneider, J. (2010). Book Review: Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima. In http://blogcritics.org. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://blogcritics.org/book-review-confessions-of-a-mask/ Read More