Gautam Aggarwal
Ibd Year 11
The Silent Cry-Kenzaburo Oe
Comparative Essay
Topic:
Compare and Contrast the Attitudes of Mitsu and his wife, Natsumi towards Takashi.
The Silent Cry is a narrative of a translator called Mitsusaboro (Mitsu) and his relations with the other main characters, namely his wife Natsumi and his brother Takashi. In the novel Mitsu is often portrayed as a man who loves his own space and leads his own silent life. This might be the reason the author has actually titled the book “The Silent cry” referring to Mitsu’s cry (narrative). His brother on the other hand is portrayed as an outspoken person who becomes a leader and was a part of the acting group that went to the United States of America with his troupe.
Natsumi on the other hand had never met Takashi and she during the course of the book gets attracted to him. To describe the attitude of both Mitsu and Natsumi as a stagnant feeling towards Takashi is very difficult as their attitudes towards him keep on changing during the whole course of the book.
The rivalry between the two siblings is demonstrated very early in the book when their mother on her death bed told Mitsu and Takashi’s sister that “Mitsu will be ugly and Takashi will be handsome. People will like Takashi and he will lead a successful life”. These were the last words that their mother said this shows that Mitsu was probably always ignored in the household where as Takashi was the one who was more loved. This would have probably been the start point of Mitsu and Takashi’s rivalry. This rivalry is even demonstrated when Mitsu tells Takashi’s “bodyguard” Hoshio that how Takashi was a coward and “the idea of dying with a lot of physical pain scares him twice as much as most people” (23) and how he has been a prey to “some fear or the other” (24). This was almost the first impression we get about Takashi directly from Mitsu and the fact that he is trying to put his brother down actually suggests that he is trying to show that he is superior and those words that his mother had said on her deathbed actually led to a lifelong sibling rivalry. Ironically when Takashi arrives Mitsu is actually surprised by the “shadow of grown-up seriousness in him” and doubts himself as to whether his views about his brother were actually correct. However Natsumi on the other hand was glad that she was going to meet her brother-in-law for the very first time and she tells Hoshio that “today will be my first meeting with my brother –in –law, and I’m glad to hear he’s such a decent young man” (25) which shows that she did not have a very bad opinion of Takashi from the very beginning. Natsumi however was an alcoholic and Hoshio told them that Takashi had actually made sure that he left alcohol but Natsumi stated that if she were told by Takashi to leave alcohol she would not do so as she “did not wish to be re-educated” (30). From the very first meeting Natsumi is impressed with Takashi’s attitude and even tell Mitsu to “do as he says” (37) when Takashi suggests to Mitsu that they should move to Shikoko and sell the warehouse.
