LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 24:5 May 2024
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Existential Angst and Dehumanization in Osamu Dazai’s
No Longer Human

Dr. Paridhi Kishore


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

Osamu Dazai, one of the most prominent Japanese writers is known for his introspective writing style and existential angst. No Longer Human which means ‘Disqualified as a human being’ is a Japanese modern fiction published in 1948. It is considered as the final work of Osamu Dazai before his suicide. The work depicts Dazai’s own life through the eyes of protagonist Oba Yozo. Dazai’s works often explores the themes of human suffering, isolation, identity crisis and sense of despair. Dazai shows strong inclination towards existentialist and nihilist explication of human suffering. The novel is powerful exploration of an individual’s existential crisis. It traces Yozo’s development of experiences and his perception from his childhood to adulthood.

Keywords: No Longer Human, identity crisis, Dazai, existentialism, nihilism, death.

1. Introduction

Existentialism is a philosophy that explores the problems of human life with an emphasis on the individual facing a seemingly meaningless world and seeks to create meaning in the world without inherent meaning. The fundamental question, “what is the meaning of life?” arises in individuals. Existentialist philosophy is most commonly associated with several 19th and 20th century philosophers like Soren Kierkegaard, Frederich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Satre and Albert Camus. However, many of these thinkers never used the term existentialist to describe themselves as they all had different approach to it, while they did share the common template of existentialism. Satre became popular with his famous maxim “Existence precedes Essence.” While existentialism often grapples with the question of individual freedom and meaninglessness, Camus focused on the concept of ‘Absurd’. The novel No Longer Human expounds these existential ideas by the portrayal of the character Oba Yazo.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Paridhi Kishore
Assistant Professor
Department of English and MEL
University of Lucknow
drparidhikishore@gmail.com
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