소세키의 『마음(こころ)』 연구

Abstract

『KOKORO』(『The Mind』)written by Natsume Soseki is one of the so-called late trilogy published as a serial in 100 installments in ASAHI newspapers in OSAKA, Tokyo from April 20 to October, 1914. I am going to discuss duplicity in his works, especially in 『KOKORO』(1914) focusing of duplicity of the characters, but not of the author. What appeared in the first part (「Sensei and I) is duplicity of the「Sensei」and of「I」. The deceit of the 「Sensei」comes from the past experiences. Moreover, 「I」 is represented as an uncertain intellectual who cannot doing anything between a premodern mentality (his farther) and the modern one (Sensei) even if the body of 「I」is living in modern society. The second part(「Parents and I」) is about those who live in the Meiji era and shows the unavoidable contradictoriness or duplicity through the image of 「My Father」 and 「My Family」representing the past.

Finally, the third part(「Sensei and His Testament」) shows a type of post-intellectuals who rationalize themselves while living irrationally and contradictorily isolated from all society. In addition, it is obvious that all human beings express their duplicity when they face with critical moments even though they try to have the perfect lives because of their innate egocentricity. It is also contradictory that humans who are all alone are doomed to die but they can have the choice of it. 『KOKORO』 says about the negative consciousness of the life and humans as well as the seamy side of humans, especially, in image of 'Sensei' in the third part 『 Sensei and His Testament』. The author, SOSEKI, shows the duplicity of the human, which can be considered as a natural thing, via this book.