Post by Won Young Seo on Oct 29, 2015 20:16:09 GMT
Out of all the things that struck me in Kappaland, the fate of the fired workers of Kappaland was what struck me as the most grotesque, even more so when you compare it to the reality of what happens to Japanese workers when they find themselves out of a job and the famous patriotic code of honor that foreign countries associate with it.
Fired workers in Kappaland are killed and eaten. Gael argues that it is a very humane process; they even make sure that death is quick and quiet!
And yet I can't help but be reminded of the number of Japanese people who commit suicide because of eventual financial problems due to a lack of a job as well as the people who die or commit suicide because of their jobs. And the worst part is that because this is such a normal and accepted part of Kappaland, it's like being killed and eaten is just part of the job and responsibility of the people of Kappaland.
The biggest problem about this is of course the fact that it is widely accepted as a part of society. It's natural for a fired Kappa to be eaten. This tradition will not change until the people's mindsets change.
Similarly, even if the government recognizes it as a problem as forces its workers to take days off, etc. until society's mindset about overtime and overwork changes, workers will continue to work themselves to death.
I think that's the underlying theme of Akutagawa's story. He shows us the problems of society: the banning of art, the blatant sexual harassment, the corrupt government through this fantastical land and lays it out so that we the readers view it as grotesque but the Kappas as a whole view as an everyday part of society. Because the mindset doesn't change, nothing changes in Kappaland, just as with our own society today.
On a side note, the opening chapter with the chasing of the Kappa and falling down a hole reminded me a LOT of Alice in Wonderland.
Question: Do you think Kappaland can ever change?
Fired workers in Kappaland are killed and eaten. Gael argues that it is a very humane process; they even make sure that death is quick and quiet!
And yet I can't help but be reminded of the number of Japanese people who commit suicide because of eventual financial problems due to a lack of a job as well as the people who die or commit suicide because of their jobs. And the worst part is that because this is such a normal and accepted part of Kappaland, it's like being killed and eaten is just part of the job and responsibility of the people of Kappaland.
The biggest problem about this is of course the fact that it is widely accepted as a part of society. It's natural for a fired Kappa to be eaten. This tradition will not change until the people's mindsets change.
Similarly, even if the government recognizes it as a problem as forces its workers to take days off, etc. until society's mindset about overtime and overwork changes, workers will continue to work themselves to death.
I think that's the underlying theme of Akutagawa's story. He shows us the problems of society: the banning of art, the blatant sexual harassment, the corrupt government through this fantastical land and lays it out so that we the readers view it as grotesque but the Kappas as a whole view as an everyday part of society. Because the mindset doesn't change, nothing changes in Kappaland, just as with our own society today.
On a side note, the opening chapter with the chasing of the Kappa and falling down a hole reminded me a LOT of Alice in Wonderland.
Question: Do you think Kappaland can ever change?
