Essay - The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai Osamu Dazai's Masterpiece 'The...

The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

Osamu *****'s masterpiece "The setting sun" (originally Shayo) was written in 1947 and it is a remarkable story about the decline of a Japanese aristocratic family. In his work, Dazai approaches many social issues and presents how Japanese values, sustained ***** aristocratic families, interact w*****h the changes of society and culture.

***** word "shayozoku" (impoverished aristocracy) developed from the word "shayo" (setting sun), its meaning describing the people that lost their world during the war, precisely following ***** ***** presented in *****'s work (Osamu Dazai).

The action ***** "The setting sun" takes place in Japan after the Second World War and it presents the story of an aristocratic ***** that is faced with the downfall ***** ***** world and its values. The novel presents how traditions and etiquette changed in the postwar period and the difficult road that aristocracy must take following the dramatic changes in the social conditions ***** ***** Japan. "T***** may not be the way of eating soup that ***** dictates, but to me it is most appealing ***** somehow really genuine. As a matter of fact, it is as Mother does, sitting serenely erect, that when you look down ***** it. But being, in Naoji's words, a high-class beggar and unable to eat with Mother's effortless ease, I bend over the plate ***** the gloomy fashion prescribed by proper etiquette" (Dazai).

***** center character of "The setting sun" is Kazuko, a young woman that adopts western clo*****s and hab*****, but that is ***** ***** in her out*****. She values ********** traditions, ***** considers that she must adapt to an increasing westernized *****. Finally, after going through several difficult challenges, she decides to have a child ***** Ueh*****ra hoping ***** she can reshape her moral ***** th***** child. Although Kazuko seems adapted to the challenges of modernization during the postwar period, she struggles to brake free ***** ***** traditional education she was given and rebuild her life and her family's situation ***** the new circumstances. Despite ***** critical financial situation her family is in, Kazuko ***** always hopeful for the future and her letters show not only great hope, but also a great sensibility.

***** ***** is real*****tic about the changes that take place in the Japanese society, ***** mother refuses to abandon her ***** way of ***** and holds on to the ***** values she cherishes. As described by her son, Naoji, ***** mother is considered to be the last genuine aristocrat. Taking into consideration the ***** conditions at the time the action ***** place, this is not necessarily a compliment.

***** returns from ***** war ***** is faced with the ***** that take place in his family. He represents the ********** ***** for his mother and sister, but he returns from ***** as a drug addict and ***** h***** to face the failure of his own life ***** the failure of ***** world as he knew it, ***** eventually leading him to suicide.

Dazai manages to mix ***** stories