Theme Of Loneliness In Japan

Isolation and Loneliness Expressed in Kokoro in the Meji Ishin Era
Kokoro takes place in the Meiji Ishin era which had installed a period of modernization and Westernization in Japan so hastily that the foundations of traditional Japanese thinking existed with the new Western thought. (CP 391, 701) Ishin in Japanese, references the meaning of both “restoration” and “renovation” (CP 386, 665). The influence of the Western ideals of individualism alienated the characters Sensei and K, from their own societies. These characters would otherwise have been comfortably integrated into the society that they previously had known, so this change of society and culture made each one of them agonizingly lonely in the process. After the Emperor Meiji died,
Sensei was a very isolated man. The narrator described him as aloof and unsociable. "I bear with my loneliness now, in order to avoid greater loneliness in the years ahead" (Natsume, pg.24) He believes that by isolating himself he avoids more reasons for him losing trust in other people and becoming lonelier. It was Sensei’s lack of trust in other people such as his uncle and family, which caused him to become so deeply isolated and paranoid in the first place. One possible reason for Sensei’s loneliness is that he was part of an old and dying generation, one which was swiftly losing its place in the changing Japanese culture of the times. "You see, loneliness is the price we have to pay for being born in this modern age, so full of freedom, independence, and our own egotistical selves." (Natsume, pg.24) Sensei blames the modern age for his own isolation. There was loneliness before the transition to modern times as well as freedom and independence. Sensei then describes his feelings on loneliness he consumes himself with, “Killing myself seemed a just punishment for my sins. Finally, I decided to go on living as if I were dead” (Natsume, pg.63). Sensei experiences isolation from two different sources, rooted in mistrust of both himself and others created by the betrayals he enacted and experienced in addition with an inability to share his burden with others. Despite his wife Shizu’s attention and
The narrator was lonely in terms of his friend’s situation and his consolation in Sensei. Sensei isolated himself through his own doing by his lack of trust and personal isolation which led to him not moving forward and embracing the times and not bettering himself. K was intensely involved in his studies which consumed his life and brought about a major issue and struggle that he couldn’t overcome with the contrasting thoughts. The drastic change of the Meji Ishin era brought about these societal changes that had their effects on the characters in