Kwaidan Selections

A detailed Summary of Kwaidan Selections

The concept of spirits and the afterlife is a common motif in many cultural works throughout the world. Within the Kwaidan selections, searching and aimless spirits, portray ghastly brutality as we read about them mutilating, murdering, and haunting without remorse. The theme of untamed brutality pervades throughout many tales in the Kwaidan selections, including "The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi," "Yuki-Onna," as well as the "The Story of O-Tei." Ultimately, there is no escape from the wrath of these aimless spirits.

In "The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi," the notion of untamed brutality within the spirits is immediately brought forth with a description of how the spirits "would rise about ships passing in the night, and try to sink them; and at all times they would watch for swimmers, to pull them down" (Kwaidan, 4). From the very get go, the theme of untamed brutality is introduced. The purposeless nature of these spirits sends a chill to the reader, which reaches a peek when the servants discover Hoichi "sitting alone in the rain before the memorial tomb of Antoku Tenno," followed by a intimidating message from the priest to Hoichi about the nature of these beastly spirits (Kwaidan, 14). Alas, this violent theme is driven home wi

Obsession has been known to drive humanity to extremes. Akutagawa, in his works "Jigokuhen," "The Nose," as well as "The Tangerines," draws out obsession as a major theme. These obsessions, varying from story to story, essentially lead to the demise of a loved one, happiness, or sensibility. Parable-like in nature, Akutagawa's stories portray obsession as a powerful force, capable of becoming an all-pervasive influence. From Yoshihide's compulsive desire to complete the hell screen, to the priest's neurotic craving to shorten his floppy nose, to the narrator's (in "The Tangerines") obsession with the "dull-looking country girl," Akutagawa makes obsession a primary theme in his works.

"An Imperial Message" is a parable of hope and persistence in overcoming even the most impossible situations. Rich in symbolism and language, Kafka conveys the distances to be crossed are simply impossible to journey through considering as you pass through one obstacle, another one is waiting right there, in an infinite loop. However, in this never-ending journey, the "indefatigable" man continues to persevere to bring that message from the emperor to us, the readers.

Since the dawn of literature, parables have played a significant factor in shaping cultures, religion, as well as personalities. Kafka, a modern parable writer, writes enigmatic anecdotal pieces which on a deep level can have a multitude of meanings to varying individuals. Personally, Kafka single-handedly perplexed me with such vague and simple-ideas presented in such a parable-like manner. In "On Parables," Kafka explicitly

Some common words found in the essay are:
Antoku Tenno, Message Kafka, Yoshihide Jigokuhen, Nose Tangerines, Ultimately Naigu, Story Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi, Zenchi Naigu, Story O-Tei, Imperial Message, Parables Kafka, untamed brutality, kwaidan selections, hell screen, theme untamed brutality, story mimi-nashi-hoichi, story o-tei, complete hell, aimless spirits, imperial message, theme untamed, brutal spirits, complete hell screen,

Approximate Word count = 1068
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion