One of the reasons why the characters of the Ukigumo strike us so vividly is that they are delineated with special emphasis on their respective ways of life towards the contemporary society. The structure of this work is based on BUNZO's way of life versus that of NOBORU and OMASA, in relation to which develops the author's criticism of life on the contemporary world. Thus the plot proceeds with the conflict between BUNZO, who is attached to OSEI, and NOBORU, who together with OMASA tries to estrange her from him. The important thing is the author's ironical point of view, which is expressed in the travesty of all characters. The author's criticism indeed consists in this travesty of human beings, which is much more extensive and meaningful than the mere criticism of bureaucracy or the opposition between the old and the new thinking. For the author, "uprightness" was in the first place the virtue of practical order, belonging to everyday life. But its hero BUNZO, like the author himself, is obsessed with the idea of "uprightness" (which in this context is a compound of Western "truth" and Eastern" moral backbone"), and it deprives him of the hope of succeeding in the corrupt world. BUNZO, though attracted by OSEI blossomed into a beautiful girl, after all is relinquished by her. He, having suffered from solitide and built up an illusion of OSEI, is betrayed by the harsh reality of life. The author's psychological analysis deepens towards the Book III of the work. There BUNZO comes to "recognize" OSEI, by which the author means the hero has acquired the power of understanding reality. The hero's change from "uprightness" to "recognition" corresponds to the author's change from an enthusiastic socialist to a calm philosopher. The work ends with the scene where BUNZO determines to forgive OSEI from the standpoint of "human feeling". The expression here stands for selfless love, which is the principle of anti-modernism. It also implies common people's fundamental ethics, and indicates the author's practical attitude towards life, which was to "experience all the vicissitudes of life together with common people and peasants."
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