| The Representation of Imperial Soldier and The Memory of Repatriation in Abe Kōbō ：“Henkei no kiroku” |
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| Fang XIE |
| Associate Professor, Jilin University |
安部公房変形の記録論 ―― ｢軍人｣の表象と｢引揚げ｣の記憶 |
| 解放 |
| 吉林大学外国語学院准教授。日本近代文学。 |
Correspondence
Fang XIE ,Email: xiefang@jlu.edu.cn
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Published online: 30 December 2023. |
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Copyright ©2023 The Global Institute for Japanese Studies, Korea University |
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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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| ABSTRACT |
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This study focuses analyzes the portrayal of Japanese military soldiers in terms of both their culpability and victimization in Abe Kōbō’s short story “Henkei no kiroku”. Through its analytical framework, this paper aims to delve into the intricate workings of Abe’s psyche, ultimately uncovering the profound interconnection between his post-war consciousness and his identity as a repatriate. The Japanese soldiers depicted in “Henkei no kiroku” simultaneously exhibit both vulnerability to victimization and cruel tendencies. This characteristic parallels the nature of repatriates, who often possess both victim and aggressor traits. Moreover, within the narrative, the struggles of the Kwantung Army to escape from Manchuria underscore their persistent inability to achieve repatriation. This particular outcome for the Kwantung Army is a symbolic reflection of the historical reality faced by numerous Japanese soldiers who found themselves unable to return to Japan after the war. This study clarifies that the aggressive and victimized traits of the soldiers in Abe Kōbō’s works emerge not as a result of their specific actions, but rather because of the variations in their circumstances and their ability or lack of it to return to Japan. |
Keywords:
Abe Kōbō, “Henkei no kiroku”, Post-war, Soldier, Repatriation
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| キ―ワ―ド:
安部公房, 変形の記録, 戦後, 軍人, 引揚げ |
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