An Analysis of Junichiro Tanizaki’s Quicksand
(August 9, 2018)
Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel “Quicksand" (Manji in Japanese) is a novel about a four-way relationship set in the upper-class Osaka backdrop. It tackles on the complexities of relationships between people, introducing another dimension which is a lesbian love affair, the devious workings of blackmailing using legal contracts and character manipulation. However, to what extent these portrayals are seen within the novel, whether they exist for the purpose of representation and not simply as a form of literary device for the shaping of the narrative, requires further analysis, to which I aim to explore in this paper. In order to do this, I will be discussing five key issues that need critical reading and examination such as Tanizaki’s image of the woman, symbolisms, the novel’s attempt of world-building, the relationships of the characters, and conflicts.
Tanizaki’s Image of the Woman
To begin with, Tanizaki, as a novelist, is quite known for exploring the image of the woman in most of his novels. The translator, Howard Hibbett, once pointed this out in a Japanese journal that recurring themes of his novels are the self-destructive sexuality and the double image of the woman as goddess and demon (Buruma, 1994). Regarding the latter, this is the key character portrayal of Mitsuko as she is portrayed to desire the attention that she is given. In the beginning, when her image was likened to the Kanon Goddess, the narrative already attempts to portray her as someone divine and pure, and this was further elaborated by descriptions of her youthful beauty that attracts everyone, or that her gracefulness and childlike appearance represents her innocence, easily garnering the sympathy of others. This encapsulates in the adoration that she receives, seemingly bringing everyone to the brink of madness and desperately holding on to her to the very end, wherein at the ending of the novel, when she, Sonoko and Kotaro attempt to have a triple-suicide, the very painting of the Kanon Goddess that was earlier likened to her image, hang on top of the bed they lied on. Because of this desire of adoration, her greed takes on a seemingly demonic possession over her, as seen in her actions to get everyone’s sympathy for her, leading her to numerous lies and manipulative plans (such as her pretending to be pregnant and accompanying complications that was the fault of Sonoko’s leasing her a book on abortion, as well as her abusive relationship with Watanuki resulting to her carrying of his child), of which when the other characters fall prey into it, leading them on until they have no way of escaping. This duality of character - as both goddess and demon - presents a connection to the Japanese and English version of the title, of Manji (in Japanese) and Quicksand (in English), with the former deeply tied to the religious understanding of the buddhist image of inter-connectedness, and the latter presenting an imagery of an inescapable trap that pulls anyone further and deeper into it the sinkhole that represents the lies and manipulations. The imagery of the title will be further explored in the next section regarding symbolism.
Symbolism
In novels, depictions of society, sometimes of characters and their relationships, are symbolic of a greater narrative. This is derived from the social construct of which the novel was written under, though most of the time, it is due in part of the influence of the author and his or her intent of writing. Quicksand was written by Tanizaki at a time when he was residing in Osaka and fell in love with the Osaka dialect (a feature that makes up the literary value and narrative aesthetic of the Japanese text, though difficult, if not completely gone in the English translation of the text) and how it is part of the narrative form that shapes the story as an oral retelling of the main character Sonoko throughout the text. This was also written at a time when a lot of writers haven entered a phase of Nihon e no kaiki or return to Japan, whereby the westernized Japanese turns towards their own traditions and Tanizaki, himself, had become enamored with classical Japanese texts such as his accomplished translation of the Tale of Genji into modern Japanese language as well as his other works that portray Heian court life such as “The Mother of Captain Shigemoto” (Ito, 1991). As such, symbolisms can both be obvious as day, as well as hidden, thus requiring a critical reading in order to understand them. In relation to the novel Quicksand, I will discuss three themes that evoke a form of symbolic nature: sex as an act, gender roles, and the character-title relationship.
Firstly, Richard Eder, a literary scholar and critic, explained that while sex as an act may be erotic, at least in part, but for Tanizaki, sex is the great metaphor for humanity’s immortal longings and mortal abasement (1994). One great example of this is the affair between Kotaro and Mitsuko, where the narrative explains how the event sparked a passion within Kotaro, to which he would begin to yearn for Mitsuko. This can be read as Kotaro’s reinvigoration to perform and function as a man, as well as falling into the pit of lust and desires. In the case of Watanuki’s desire to covet all of Mitsuko’s body, he wishes for their relationship to be the cure of his deficiency (impotency). And finally, in the case of Sonoko and Mitsuko’s relationship, the physical attraction and consummation of their love is seen as their way of breaking through the expectations of society (in effect of the mortal limitations placed by norms), but at the same time, their lust and greed for the other consumes them, and drives them to act and create lies and manipulate people.
Secondly, in terms of gender roles, there is a picture about masculinity and femininity that the narrative tries to portray in terms of expectations placed upon them (social constructs), rather than blatant explanations or direct narrative dialogues that intends to instruct. In terms of masculinity, it is seen through the image of a perfect husband (to which Kotaro tries to conform to) having the values of an attractive face, secure employment, being knowledgeable and capable, and the capability to father a child. It is with these values linked to the imagery of masculinity that drives Watanuki to covet Mitsuko as his wife, for his deficiency of being impotent portrays him as an anomaly, of which he tries to hide from society (and Sonoko in his attempts to manipulate her and lie about father Mitsuko’s unborn child). In terms of femininity, it is seen through the images of both a good wife and youth, having the values of beauty and grace, nurturing, sensibility and responsibleness. Both Sonoko and Mitsuko posses the various values, though most of the time, it is attributed to them as a form of observance or prescription, such as in the case of Kotaro reminding Sonoko what and how a good wife must act, and how Mitsuko’s beauty, grace and youth represents her image as the ideal woman. In fact, in Mitsuko’s case, even Sonoko (a woman, herself) sees her as the ideal woman that she could not be and so the closest she could achieve it is to be tied to her, thus leading to her infatuation of Mitsuko.
Lastly, recalling that the titles "Manji" and "Quicksand" symbolizes the narrative as something that drives the characters to be interconnected and their inescapable relationships, I would like to further examine the symbolism of the title in relation to the two main characters of Sonoko and Mitsuko. For Sonoko, when considering the image portrayed by the manji, it refers to her interwoven relationships with the other characters in the story (the manji, being a reverse swastika, has four arms to represent the four main characters of the story), such as love and passion for Mitsuko, marriage to Kotaro, and her contract with Watanuki. This can be further explored by the imagery of the quicksand, as within her relationships with the other characters, she is falls into a pit of lies, deception, secret meetings, legal contracts and blackmail, thus, the more she struggles to keep up with these or in her attempt to escape, the more she finds herself deeply entrenched into them. Ultimately she resigns her fate to the inescapable destiny as seen near the end of the novel where she was aware of what her relationship with Mitsuko and Kotaro has turned them into and how society looks at them, and yet, she also accepts that this was her fate, even after the final betrayal was done to her.
For Mitsuko, the image of the manji is strongly represented by its religious symbolism of heaven and earth (vertical axis) which can be equated to her image as both a goddess and a demon, and yin and yang (horizontal axis) which can be equated to her image as the symbol of a pure and innocent ideal woman who also possesses a manipulative and destructive persona. Furthermore, the left facing manji (sometimes called front facing, thus Omote), represents love and mercy, which points to her image likeness to the painting of the Kannon Goddess of Mercy from the start of the novel, its recurring presence throughout the novel and its final placement atop the bed where the three characters attempt their triple-suicide. The negative aspects that are considered part of the image that the manji as a symbol carries, is highlighted further by the title of "Quicksand", as she becomes the pit, itself, that continually pulls in her prey, and like the quicksand, the prey must first willing step within her range, and once they are within reach, all forms of struggle only makes her hold onto them stronger and inescapable.
Attempt of World-building
One interesting aesthetic function that this novel achieves is its ability to recreate the Osaka scene of the early 1930’s. By following Sonoko, the reader gets a glimpse, not only of the Kakiuchi residence, but of the arts academy, the Osaka business district, the downtown Osaka, the brothel areas, the villa by the mountains, and more. The world is well-represented in various aspects such as infrastructure, climate, social norms, and even in the actions and reactions of people in the background. Compared to the contemporaries of Tanizaki, the world-building aspect that "Quicksand" manages to present goes beyond the limitations of familiar and the immediate environment of the characters, especially when the narrative enters the second part of the novel where the movement of the characters are given detailed accounts. One such example is the instruction given to Sonoko on how she would depart from her residence and run away to meet Mitsuko in the villa where they were to commit a fake double-suicide, in which the extent of the instructions go as far as detailed train departures and stations. At this point, it sounds close to a travel guide of the site and sceneries. While geographic representation is a big part of world-building, its other essential element, I believe, is the people of the world. This is common in most narrative-driven novels but in the case of "Quicksand", it is taken even further by allowing secondary characters to come alive and take part of the story. As such, the novel attains a fuller narrative as the main characters are receiving interactions, or in the case of the betrayal of Mitsuko’s maid Ume at the end of the story, resulting to the news report exposés, the main characters are driven, though as a result of their own past actions, by events that are no longer in their control.
Social norms also come into play in creating a believable, often than not, relatable society. This point, however, may have a few issues needing to be addressed. Just because there is a representation in the novel, it doesn’t mean that it is factual. The closest it can get is a form of verisimilitude because the world that the novel creates is already a kind of perception created by the author, himself. As such, it isn’t right to conclude that whatever social prejudice or reaction that was portrayed in the novel equates to the real scenario of that time. One good example is how the gossip of Mitsuko and Sonoko’s relationship started in the academy, as well as the reprimands that Sonoko receives from her husband, Kotaro. The way relationships between females were being described seemed almost as if it was a common occurrence at that time, like a social malaise. While there is not enough evidence for such a common occurrence, it seemed to me, at the very least, that it was being presented as normal when compared to something that is often treated as hidden (or to be ashamed) in other works. The blatantness of the prescription of lesbianism, is, in itself, perhaps a reflection or a commentary of the society, but as I will discuss the topic of lesbianism at a later portion of this paper, the topic, itself, may not at all have worked for the novel as much as it should have. At the same time, the expectations surrounding the roles of man/husband and woman/wife were part of the narrative, creating further internal strife within the characters as the presence of these social norms gives a sense of social actions and limitations to which the characters must conform to.
Relationships
Given the earlier discussions on how the characters of this novel are interconnected, it is apt to provide a separate area of discussion regarding this. The novel pretty much explores the four-way relationship of the main characters. I will briefly touch into these relationships by framing each with a certain characteristic. First, we have the married life of the Kakiuchis (Sonoko and Kotaro). Following their interaction throughout the novel, the reader is made aware of the lack of any sexual attraction of the two. It is further explained when this lack of attraction may have stemmed from the fact that Kotaro’s decision to marry Sonoko came as part of his aspiration to study abroad and have his own law office to run in Osaka’s major business centers. This would explain why Sonoko expresses a kind of resentment whenever Kotaro scolds her, berating him for only marrying her for her family’s influence and money. Kotaro doesn’t deny this, resulting to his decision to overlook Sonoko’s actions, and it is only when the latter’s actions begin to affect Kotaro’s status as the husband that he actively begins to restrict Sonoko. This, he reasons as his obligation to Sonoko’s father who accepted him to marry Sonoko, and therefore must act accordingly in order to provide the life that was expected of his marriage to Sonoko. The characteristic of a relationship represented here is one of benefits and mutual dependency, for Kotaro needed the marriage with Sonoko in order to fulfill his desire to study abroad, and Sonoko was at a marriageable age and that as a daughter of a successful merchant, it was necessary that her husband must be an upstanding member of society.
Second, we have the relationship between Sonoko and Mitsuko which started from the gossip in the arts school. The intrigue had coincided with Sonoko’s painting of the Kanon Goddess image and it was the insistent commentary to the paintings resemblance to Mitsuko’s face that only made her curiosity and self-doubt stronger. Inevitably, her meetings with Mitsuko would change the gossip into reality, and she begins to develop and believe that her feelings towards Mitsuko as real. The characteristic of the relationship represented in this one is greed and manipulation. This is seen in the revelation of the gossip’s origin being Mitsuko, and Mitsuko’s own lies just to get Sonoko’s sympathy. While at one point, Sonoko tried to escape from this relationship after Mitsuko's first betrayal, it would soon be clear that she could not do so as she would be pulled into the lies, creating her own in the process. What makes this encounter even more glaring is when Sonoko admits that at the time when Mitsuko was feigning pregnancy, she had already come to understand that the latter was only pretending but it was this act that only made Sonoko believe the latter’s feelings were true and thus became sympathetic of her. Furthermore, the manipulation would continue up to the very end of the novel, as seen in Sonoko’s willingness to follow Mitsuko’s demands, particularly with sleeping narcotic pills. The greed to be tied to each other was strong, but the result of this manipulation and greed would finally be seen at the ultimate betrayal when Mitsuko, Kotaro and Sonoko performs the triple-suicide, wherein the two intentionally left out Sonoko as the only survivor.
The third relationship portrayed in the one between Mitsuko and Watanuki, which has the similar characteristic of manipulation as seen in the Sonoko-Mitsuko relationship, however, there is a much darker motivation. Watanuki has a past reputation as being impotent and therefore clings onto Mitsuko by blackmailing her about their past relationship together in order to continue their fake (and one-sided) relationship and his desire of marriage. This desire can be read as a symptom of the social norms placed on men as being powerful, competent and manly (in the way as being able to perform a man’s duty which is contradicting his very persona by the simple fact that he is impotent), and therefore he wishes to correct this by cementing his position as a married man. At the same time, Mitsuko was also using her victimized position with Watanuki in order to get sympathy from Sonoko and Kotaro, as well as spreading the gossip in the beginning of the novel, for she cannot openly leave Watanuki as the their past physical relationship would only shame her if not addressed properly.
The final relationship portrayed is the one between Mitsuko and Kotaro. This is a relationship built on dependency. Kotaro’s flame of passion was reignited by Mitsuko’s sexual appeal during the fake suicide incident in the mountain villa when they had an affair, and ever since then, he knew that this version of himself is something he wanted and it can only be attained with Mitsuko. This dependency is further validated near the end of the novel when Kotaro explains how he is aware of being turned into a “second Watanuki” and yet he did not feel the need to stop it. At the same time, Mitsuko’s hold over Kotaro fed her desire to be the center of attention, and this only confirmed her own belief that she had Kotaro’s sympathy along with Sonoko’s. As such, she would manipulate Kotaro as well, as seen near the end of the novel where Kotaro’s efforts to deter Watanuki from harassing them was partly because of his affection for her, and the many times when Mitsuko would administer sleeping pills to Kotaro and Sonoko a clear indication of Mitsuko’s manipulation of the two. In fact, when Mitsuko began to spend most of her days with the Kakiuchi couple near the end of the novel, she had become a part of their lives that it now revolved around her. Furthermore, Mitsuko and Kotaro’s successful suicide attempt only attests to their dependency of the other, or as Buruma explains it, “suicide as the ultimate test of loyalty” (1994).
Conflicts
After discussing the interconnectedness of the characters through their relationships, it is also necessary to discuss how their relationships come into play in the story, and this is through the conflicts they bring. In literature, conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist (Literary Device.net, 2015). It is also conflict that allows for the narrative to proceed, particularly in this novel, as it is what weaves the complications that is found at the core of the story. As such I will examine the conflicts portrayed in the novel under three categories: versus self, versus another, and versus society, and in doing so, would highlight the relationship and effect of the conflicts between principals actors and the narrative.
The first category is the conflict versus self, that which is a battle fought within one’s self, whether psychological or conscious suppression and physical harm. This is portrayed in the novel in the recurring theme of suicide as a form of escape (the fact that it becomes a reliable option to convey a message, whether it be by passion or to assert one’s conviction), and passivity of Sonoko (the fact that she allows herself to be led by another, as in the case of Mitsuko manipulating her or even Kotaro’s actions that aims to curtail her relationship with Mitsuko. Buruma further explains that at this time when adultery committed outside the brothels was considered punishable by death, that the act of suicide was seen as the ultimate form of self-sacrifice and loyalty (1994), and this is where the relationship between Sonoko and Mitsuko first begins to blossom during that scene when Mitsuko was invited to the Kakiuchi’s bedroom and Sonoko had her undress all of her cloths, with both women stating how Mitsuko’s beauty was maddening to the point of wanting to kill Mitsuko as a form of adoration, and Mitsuko’s own acceptance to be killed if that was what Sonoko so wished as her mutual confession.
The second category is the conflict versus others, that which is a battle between actors involved. This is portrayed in the novel through the deceptions, manipulations and the blackmail attempts between characters. Though there is no other physical violation involved, aside from Watanuki and Mitsuko’s relationship, and that one moment when Kotaro and Sonoko entered a heated argument that prompted the former to throw a vase and missing the latter, this category of conflict is best portrayed in the psychological infliction in the novel, where deceptions and manipulation are created in order to get advantage over another by creating a rift within the trust. Watanuki’s plan to use legal contracts for blackmailing the Kakiuchis into following him is one good example of a non-violent conflict between parties, as it stirs problems between characters and portrays the assertion of power over others. The ultimate form of betrayal is portrayed at the very end of the novel where Sonoko becomes the sole survivor of their attempted triple-suicide, as she would finally understand that despite all her actions, all her relationships with Mitsuko and Kotaro, she was the only one left out in the end and served no purpose in their lives, thus dealing a heavy psychological blow into her, leading her to the oral retelling of the story to the fictional “sensei” of which she hoped would help ease her pain, though it fails. Eder remarks that this act betrayal towards her, as a whole-hearted confession of Mitsuko and Kotaro’s love for each other, became the ultimate deception (1994) for not only is it a blow against Sonoko’s beliefs, but also to the scrutiny of society.
This leads to the third category– the conflict versus society, that which is a battle against built social constructs as well as with the community. One portrayal in the novel is found in the beginning, when the Principal of the Art School berates Sonoko’s painting and harasses her for her so-called illicit relationship with Mitsuko, using social norms and expectations of a model wife as a point of argument. This would be affirmed, later on, by Kotaro’s own reprimands, as well as Sonoko’s own internal dilemma of the duty of a good wife and her feelings for Mitsuko. Another portrayal is Watanuki’s personal battle to satisfy the societal conditions placed on the image of masculinity, of which he is found deficient (impotent) and therefore, an anomaly, which fuels his desire to prove his worth. Yet another portrayal is the result of Ume’s betrayal in the end of the novel, wherein the relationship of Mitsuko and Sonoko were revealed, and the resulting controversies surrounding the Kakiuchi residence that news reports begin to unravel and expose in morning papers, creating a rift in the three main characters’ daily life routine, and ultimately pressing them to attempt the triple suicide as their form of response to prove themselves against the scrutiny of society. At the same time, another form of portrayal of this conflict is the continued relationship of Sonoko and Mitsuko, for they are both aware of the norms of society and how their illicit affair would not be condoned, and it is this conscious resistance to conform to the laws that prohibits them that makes them active participants in a conflict against society.
Conclusion
With the previous discussions, it may seem that the love affair between Sonoko and Mitsuko as the focal point of the novel. The complications resulting their illicit relationship is what stirs the narrative, bringing to light other complications and the inevitable ending. However, looking deeply into the role of the lesbian love affair of the characters, the novel did little to explain lesbianism as a form of any awareness, rather, it was portrayed much like a literary device to expand the narrative of the story. It is true that there were instances of reprimands of proper female to female decorum and the limitations of any female to female companionship that was accepted by society, but the narrative surrounding these explanations only worked for the purpose of adding more conflict and complications to which the characters can expand the story and become interconnected. In fact, what best describes the story is not the lesbian love affair but the inescapable trap that is Mitsuko, and the lesbian aspect of the narrative was only added in order to create another dimension to the possible multiple relationships that Mitsuko would weave her hold of power onto. To this, the English version of the title seems more apt, and therefore expresses the same conclusion I have that this is story is about Mitsuko and not, at all, about lesbianism as a topic. Furthermore as this novel was first serialized through a circulating newspaper, and as a novelist, Tanizaki was more interested in leading his readers from each chapter/episode to another, through the creation of intricate and complicated conflicts, as evident in the seemingly clichéd mystery and detective story approach, and the stupidity of the characters to be caught in the traps and conflicts of their own making and receiving their just punishment. Nevertheless, the novel succeeds as an entertaining literature, but not so much in focusing on the role of lesbianism.
Works Cited:
1. "Conflict." Literary Device.Net. https://literarydevices.net/conflict/.
2."Manji / Wan (Buddhist “Swastika”)." Symbol Dictionary.Net. http://symboldictionary.net/? p=1669.
3. Buruma, Ian. "Fatal Attractions." The New York Times. February 13, 1994. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/13/books/fatal-attractions.html.
4. Edder, Richard. "Confession as the Ultimate Deception : QUICKSAND, By Junichiro Tanizaki . Translated from Japanese by Howard Hibbett (Alfred A. Knopf: $22; 224 Pp.) : THE REED CUTTER and CAPTAIN SHIGEMOTO'S MOTHER: Two Novellas, By Junichiro Tanizaki . Translated from Japanese by Anthony H. Chambers (Alfred A. Knopf: $22; 180 Pp.)." Los Angeles Times. February 27, 1994. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-27/books/bk-27610_1_junichiro-tanizaki-japanese-centuries.
5. Ito, Ken K. 1991. Visions of desire: Tanizaki's fictional worlds. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press
Comments
Post a Comment