Everyone is familiar with Oba Yozo from "No Longer Human." This character accurately demonstrates social isolation and the struggle to express true emotions while maintaining a mask. He wears the mask of a "clown" to fit into society. The alienation stems from a deeper issue: his fragile internal state. His attempts to rationalize the condition lead to further estrangement. However, I want to share with you a novel that comes from my country and depicts a different type of social isolation. In Nam Cao's 1941 work "Chi Pheo," the main character faces circumstances that make it nearly impossible to be human. The world appears to be against him, and despite his intense desire to fit in, he is unable to do so.
Some basic information first: Nam Cao draws from real people and actual events in his hometown of Dai Hoang village to craft a vivid and realistic depiction of Vietnamese rural society before the August Revolution, including its stifling, and sometimes excruciating realities. Despite the grim circumstances of daily life, Chi Pheo never loses his yearning for a fulfilling and honest existence. "Vu Dai Village" serves as the backdrop for the novel, representing a cross-section of rural Northern Vietnam just before the August Revolution. The societal structure is rigidly hierarchical and strictly enforced, portraying the complexities of village life. At the top of the pyramid is Ba Kien, a character with boundless power whose family had been ruling the village with an iron fist for generations. One level below is his subordinates who constantly fought between their ranks to seize the slightest bit of benefits. The villagers stood at the feet of the pyramid, unable to voice their desire, forever destined to be oppressed and enslaved.
Their childhood:
Chi Pheo, in contrast to Oba Yozo, was not born into a wealthy family. Rather, he was abandoned as a newborn and raised by various foster families throughout his childhood, with no biological family or connections. He struggled to find a permanent home, as nobody wanted to keep him. I believe that both characters’ childhood differs the greatest when it comes to their definition of happiness.
Oba Yozo struggles to relate to others on an emotional level. This sense of alienation led to his fabrication of a "clown" persona, which he used as a social mask to blend in with society. Despite his success at school, he was forced to endure sexual abuse at the hands of the household staff. He kept quiet about this torment and suppressed his emotions, allowing his distrust and fear of people to take root. Oba Yozo knows he is different from the people around him. He was born that way. While Oba Yozo seeks validation through the approval of others, Chi Pheo possesses innate qualities such as gentleness, and resilience. He worked as a laborious farmer for Ba Kien. He harbored a simple dream of a peaceful home, with “him working the fields while his wife weaves cloth.”
Their degradation:
An unreasonable fit of jealousy led Ly Kien to maliciously frame Chi Pheo for a crime he did not commit, resulting in his wrongful imprisonment for several years. Upon his return to the village, Chi Pheo had transformed into an entirely different person. His appearance had become abhorrent, with a bald head, gapped teeth, and a face marked by dark patches and hideous wounds. Chi Pheo now focused solely on violently attacking those around him, using head-banging, slitting faces, and stabbing as his weapon of choice. The story quotes: “The once-kind farmer was now completely unrecognizable, transformed into something less than human, but more akin to a wild animal - his face was covered in vertical and horizontal scars, all varying in shape and form, giving him a truly terrifying visage.”
Meanwhile, Oba Yozo remained an “extraordinarily handsome” man but unable to cope with the social anxiety. He turned to alcohol and double suicide with a random woman he met at the bar, which he miraculously survived. This experience only intensifies his deep-seated feelings of shame and depression. It must be noted that Oba Yozo's life is characterized largely by shame: “Mine has been a life of much shame. I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.” His rejection of human beings comes internally while Chi Pheo was rejected from basic human qualities by external forces.
Their path to human:
Both are offered a way to redeem themselves in the presence of a woman: Thi No and Yoshiko for Chi Pheo and Yozo respectively. Even Chi recognized his fallen self and the story quotes: “Gosh! He craves honesty. How he wants to make peace with everyone!... People will accept him into a society of honest people.” Despite his longing for honesty and reconciliation, Chi Pheo is unable to accept his fallen state and be truly accepted by society. Chi Pheo desperately sought to return to a life of honesty with the community, but the entire village was frightened and rejected him. Even Thi No, who once showed compassion for Chi Pheo, cut ties with him due to pressure from her family. This led him into a state of utter despair: "My attempts at honesty were never fully recognized, and my previous life as a scoundrel was no longer desirable. I cannot become an honest person - who gave me goodwill? And how can I rid myself of the scars on my face? I cannot be a good person. Do you understand?" Chi Pheo's final words reflect the true depth of his inner turmoil and tragic story.
Oba Yozo’s story was no better. Following his expulsion from the university, Oba Yozo finds himself homeless and a family friend takes him in. In a tragic turn of events, Yozo enters a relationship with an innocent woman named Yoshiko, only to witness her sexually harassed by an acquaintance. The experience sends him into an even deeper state of despair, as he blames himself for the events. Rather than seeking justice, he internalizes his feelings of shame and hopelessness, further contributing to his declining mental state. While Chi Pheo puts a large emphasis on the goodwill in humanities, Oba Yozo delves deep into the shame of one’s life, the innate mindset that one cannot change anything despite trying their hardest. However, I did not blame Yozo for his mindset. His disappointment in society, and in himself, stems from his childhood as well as his inability to express himself to others. Doesn’t it feel like the moment you were born, you were “faulty?” This is another difference between the two stories: Nam Cao believed that everyone is human at heart and that everyone contains in themselves goodwill and honesty while the main character of No Longer Human directly refutes that point. Oba Yozo was born as a “social outcast”, or at least that’s what he believed. But is he truly a “social outcast”? According to the bar lady at where Yozo spent his darkest night: “The Yozo we knew was so easy-going and amusing, and if only he hadn’t drunk—no, even though he did drink—he was a good boy, an angel.”
Conclusion:
The stories of Chi Pheo and Oba Yozo share certain similarities, including their yearning for human connection and the desire to be accepted as honest people. However, societal factors and personal experiences lead to their rejection and contribute to their inability to integrate into their respective communities. Nam Cao's novel "Chi Pheo" exposed the harsh realities of rural Vietnam before the Revolution, showcasing how gentle and hardworking people like Chi Pheo were pushed towards corruption due to the oppressive and exploitative conditions of the semi-colonial, semi-feudal system. Contrarily, Dazai's life experiences and internal struggles prevented him from ever fitting in with his peers, leaving him to navigate his difficult path alone. While both stories are marked by a sense of detachment and isolation, their themes also emphasize the importance of human connection and the desire to be truly accepted for who you truly are.
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