The Other in Atsushi Nakajima''s Colonial Works
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Cheng, Shun-Lung
Abstract
Atsushi Nakajima had been living in the oversea colony for a quarter of his life. He had been seven years in Korea from five grade to twelve; until his later years, he left for Palau as a civil servant of textbook editor of Nan’yo cho, which was a Japan government office in south pacific sea. He reflected the experience of observing colony in his works, which like “The View of Policeman”, “The Description of D City in July”, “Tiger Hunting”, “The Tales of South Sea Islands”, “Atoll” and so on. The study about these works was so few, although it has been noticed in recent years. Regarding previous research about Nakajima’s colonial works, put those works in a way which means a criticism against the Japanese colonial policy from Nakajima hope this thesis could escape this frame through focusing on the protagonist’s characterization, and revaluate it. In the past, Atsushi Nakajima’s works had been noted as adapting the Chinese classics works. Then, in his a series of works that the protagonist named “Sanzou”, which is like “Lousitu-Ki” that be regard as a strong biographical work, has been remarked because of its content reflects Nakajima’s state of mind and thinking of philosophy. But I think these works represent that author limited his concern on “past” and “self”. In the other side, Nakajima turn his eye to “present” and “other” in his colonial works. How did Nakajima gaze those people who exist in definitely different space-time than himself? I will keep this question when I analysis the text in my thesis, and I hope it can provide some original viewpoint to readers. I found some phenomenon in my consideration. For example, I found at the pieces of his “Tyousen-Mansyu” period that may make reader thinks about author is looking the others at first sight, but actually the image of those heroes in these works shows that he is considering about ‘the self’ just like the image of his the other famous works. Or, the protagonist “I” depreciate civilization and praise primitive society in the “light and wind and dream”, nevertheless he has wavered in his standpoint at the pieces of “Nan-yo” period. It shows that Nakajima failed in escaping prejudice when he described “Nan-yo”. We could find Nakajima has a tendency toward humanitarianism when we read his “Tyousen-Mansyu” period works. But I also found in these works that he had a huge desire for making his pieces far from the criticism of social problem and Japanese colonial policy which carried the theme with clear purpose. It is obvious that he wants to avoid criticism at the pieces of “Nan-yo” period. Instead of that is a “expectant view” with a gap of people in “Nan-yo” and “Tusitara’s ” tone. I think this means that there is a huge gap between Nakajima’s observation and real “Nan-yo” people, nevertheless it is also becoming a unique observation of himself, too.
Subjects
the criticism of Japanese colonial policy
the other
expectant view
tusitara
civilization and primitive society
Nan-yo
Tyousen
Mansyu
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