O HANA SAN, written in 1900 by King Rama VI (1881–1925) while he was studying in England, is one of his works about Japan. Previous studies have raised important observations about the plot between the main characters, O Hana-San and Ray, which resembles the relationship between Cho-Cho-San and Pinkerton in John Luther Long’s Madame Butterfly. Not only does O HANA SAN portray the relationship between ‘Western man-Japanese woman’, but it also details the relationships between ‘Japanese man-Western woman’ and ‘Western man-Japanese man’. This study analysed the representation of Japan and Japanese people in O HANA SAN, focusing on the relationship between ‘Westerner-Japanese’ through the Thai author’s perspectives.
As a result, representations of Japan are found in three aspects: 1) The aspect of ‘Western man-Japanese woman’ reflected that Japanese woman could be independent deciding their own fate. 2) The aspect of ‘Japanese man-Western woman’ represented the equal relationship insisting on the idea “Whether we are of Western or Oriental descent, we are all human being”. 3) the aspect of ‘Western man-Japanese man’ represented the pride and dignity of Japanese man.
In addition to Western perspectives that influence O HANA SAN, the international status of Japan to Thais is reflected. Furthermore, the Relationship between ‘Westerners and Japanese’ was used functionally to insist on the political ideology, which is one of Rama VI’s signatures featured in his works.
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