An Analysis of the Theme of Egoism in Kokoro by Natsume Soseki Essay

IB Essay Kokoro by Natsume Soseki"What we are." -- A phrase that causes a number of thoughts to cross my mind. What makes us who we are? From the light of events of Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, I did some research to find an answer to this question. One aspect of all human behaviors is egotism. In Kokoro, events take place primarily around the relationship of Sensei and "I". Sensei and "I" are both attracted to each other for they share some common characteristics. We, in human nature, all do things that will improve our lives, even if that means becoming egotistical. Sensei and "I" both fall into this black hole of egotism from which they will never return. They are egotistical just like us. Although they both graduated from the prestigious University of Tokyo, they are not satisfied with their sophistication. They attempt desperately to convince others that they are the righteous. When they encounter a belief that they do not accept or understand, they become paranoid for they fear that they are wrong. In Sensei's case, he becomes very insecure when K contradicts Sensei's explanation of his denial about love to an opposite sex. He fears that K is more sophisticated than him. This causes him to believe that he will not be able convince K that his feeling to Ojosan go against his own belief about manhood. "I" on the other hand struggles, for he cannot fully understand why Sensei acts in the way he does until he receives Sensei's testament.Sensei in his college years, was very machismo. He did not believe in love until he met Ojosan. Therefore, Sensei was very sensitive in Ojosan's attitude towards anybody. When he found out that K shared the same feelings to Ojosan as Sensei did, he became very worried, for he was not confident that he would make much of a rival to him. He attempted to take K out of the game the...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Character Analysis of Annie Wilkes in Misery by Stephen King Essay

What does it take to frighten an author of best-selling horror novels? In Misery, Stephen King embodies a writer's fears about himself as a writer and about the continuation of his creativity in a richly elaborated and horrifi-cally psychotic woman, Annie Wilkes. In the novel, Annie represents a mother figure, a goddess, and a "constant reader". In reality, however, An-nie merely represents a creative part of King's mind.Annie Wilkes is a proud mother of two children--a historical-romance novelist, Paul Sheldon, and his extremely popular heroine Misery Chastain. Annie must nurse and educate Paul. Gottschalk elaborates, "Annie views Paul in a madly maternal way. Early in her custody of Paul, she brings him pills for his excruciating pain, but he must suck them off her fingers in a grotesque parody of a nursing child" (125). If she leaves him untended too long, Paul wets his bed, and she must change his sheets and clothes. When he is tired or frustrated, he we...
Read more

An Analysis of the Character of Chichikov in the Poem, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol Essay

Dead Souls takes place in the Russia of the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into a new town, pretending to already be a landowner, and begins a quest to buy the names of dead serfs who have not yet been officially reported dead. Each person that Chichkov presents this offer to has a different reaction, starting with the shy and introverted Manilov. Though he does not understand Chichikov's need for the names of these dead serfs, Manilov is a character that is so desperate for company that it does not take any effort to trick him into selling his dead souls cheaply. However, as Chichikov continues his journey, he starts to deal with more clever landowners who become suspicious of his scheme. Chichikov finds that the townsmen know...
Read more

Religious Symbolism in The Blessed Damozel, a Poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti Essay

Dante Gabriel Rossettis poem The Blessed Damozel is full of religious symbolism. There is talk of saints, and the poem itself takes place in heaven. But underneath the religious symbolism is a deep sensuality, that makes one wonder if the white rose of Marys gift referred to in line nine is the gift of Mary the Virgin, or the somewhat less virginal Mary Magdalene. While the Damozel is in heaven, her appearance in heaven, her behaviors in life, and what happens when she and her lover are reunited suggest some less than virginal dealings, yet the damozel is blessed and resides in heaven. Rossetti was the child of liberals kicked out of Italy a heavily catholic country for their extreme political views. While Rossetti himself was not political, he may have espoused similar views regarding politics and religion as his parents. In the poem The Blessed Damozel, Rossetti was given the chance to essentially create his own heaven. Most everything he wrote seems to show that Rossetti espoused ...
Read more