Paralleling Closure and Continuity : A Study of Dazai Osamu's Pandora no hako

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  • <断絶>と<連続>のせめぎ合い : 太宰治『パンドラの匣』論
  • 〈断絶〉と〈連続〉のせめぎ合い : 太宰治『パンドラの匣』論
  • 〈 ダンゼツ 〉 ト 〈 レンゾク 〉 ノ セメギアイ : ダザイチ 『 パンドラ ノ コウ 』 ロン

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Abstract

Dazai Osamu's Pandora no hako (Pandora's Box) was published in Kahoku Shinpo from October 22, 1945 to January 7 of the following year. This was in the early years of the U.S. Occupation of Japan when a number of reforms were carried out, without completely overthrowing the Emperor system. Wartime was transitioning into the postwar era, observing concurrently the end of militarism and the survival of a modified Emperor system in which the Emperor became a symbolic figurehead of the nation. It was in these times that Dazai's Pandora no hako created a fictional space called "Kenko Dojo" (The Health Seminary). The novel depicts a young man who heard the Emperor's voice on the radio on August 15, 1945, and considers it a time of closure. It also depicts a scene in which someone cries out "His Majesty, the Emperor! Banzai!," which captures the sense of historical continuity. This paper analyzes Dazai's critical stance by re-examining the coexisting themes of closure and continuity in the work. It pays special attention to the letters used in the work, in which the authors of the letters refer to "that"-an incident that is understood to be common knowledge between "I" and "You." However, the content of "that" is left to the readers' imagination. The only clue given is the date of the incident that summons the historical context behind "that."

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