No Longer Human is one of the cult Japanese books by the phenomenal author Osamu Dazai. Published in 1948,it remains as one of the biggest representors of Japanese literature and depressive writing. The novel is written in the form of three notebooks about the main character Oba’s life which is partially identical to that of Dazai’s.
The novel consists of the main character Oba Yozo who struggles with self identity,anxiety and who fears society therefore isn’t capable of how to be or at least feel like a part of it. He confronts such difficulties by hiding who he really is and acting like a joyful and silly guy so as to be loved and accepted rather than to attract the attention. He later on finds himself gaining the love of many people out here but still fearing the possibility of his fake personality being revealed along with his constant fear of the expectations his father holds towards him. Therefore,Oba desires to go for his dreams of being an artist which completely contradict what his politician father expects from him. As a result,he gets even more lost between the ambivalent goals of his and his father’s. Due to this war-like-uncertainty towards his position in the society and his desires for the future,he leans on to alcohol usage even more and loses all of his reputation in his family’s eyes as a result of wrong friendships and wrong decisions in his youth.
The writing of the Novel is just as dark and haunting as the story itself. Dazai truly mesmerizes the readers with the simple beauty and honesty contained in each line. As the story goes on,how simply the downfall of the character is depicted attracts the attention with ease. In my opinion,the most striking feature of the writing of the novel is how unvague it is which is how understandable the sentences are without any complex structures. Clarity in the narrative holds such an irreplaceable place in a work of art in order not to bore the audience and give them the chance to easily comprehend and furthermore,to enjoy.
With all points above taken in consideration,No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai can be percepted as one of the top top books with a relatable downfall,contradictions and mix of emotions narrated via clear sentences. Definitely one of the essential books to get into Japanese literature.