著者

河原 敬子

出版者

奈良女子大学

雑誌

人間文化研究科年報 (ISSN:09132201)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.26, pp.372-382, 2010-03-31

---

This is Kajii's only and last novel relating actual or external circumstances as opposed to thoughts or feelings precisely described in his former works. The novel is constructed with several episodes, all ofwhich are concerning patients of tuberculosis of the lungs and their families. As is commonly known, the disease was incurable early in the Showa era and patients were cast into the abyss of despair. Yoshida is one of such patients. He is bedridden, and so, his old mother takes care of him a whole day. One night, inspite of the fact that he is in a critical condition because of dyspnoea, he observes his self-consciousness as a sick person. Yoshida is inclined to think much of the inner life, and so, in case that he knew a woman's death, he first of all thinks of her solitary feeling. Though she was well cared for by her mother, just after her mother's death, she died,too. His mother is more keenly sure that her care is indispensable to her son. The episode shows that their point of view is much different from each other. His mother carries news of the neighborhood who depend on various popular remedies and he remembers that he was faced with such cases there previously. Yoshida takes a broard view of things in the actual world and eventually he comes to understand how hard they struggle against their hardships even if in a stupid way. Lastly, hefinds out the reality around death from statistics. He watches the statistics figures of mortality discloses that poor patients may face death earlier than rich ones and he knows that the former is composed of the strong-minded or not. Moreover, he recognizes whateven they may be, they must die. The nobel is closedrevealing realistic aspect of death.