World Literature Essay
Analysis of a Short Extract from ‘Black Rain’ by Masuji Ibuse
Judith Lowson
Sevenoaks School
Candidate Number 0102 080
Word count:
World Lit Essay- Analysis of a short Extract from ‘Black Rain’ by Masuji Ibuse
Ibuse’s ‘Black Rain’ weaves together the stories of several people’s experiences following America’s deployment of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. For much of the novel, the story is told through the diaries of these characters, the most important of which is that of Shigematsu, whose niece, Yasuko, hopes to be married once her prospective husband has recognised that she is not suffering from radiation sickness which has affected so many, including Shigematsu himself. There are several themes which run through the novel, as well as images which are referred to again and again, such as the loss of tradition, the Japanese ‘never say die’ attitude and most obviously the pain and suffering which can be inflicted by this most powerful of weapons. The extract, which is taken from Chapter 9, begins on page 127 with the words ‘I tried to sit up in bed’ and ends on page 129 with the words ‘but what else could one say’. It is from a section of Shigematsu’s diary from August 7th, the day after the dropping of the bomb. Many of the important themes and images in the novel are evident in this passage, and it includes both brutal and graphic descriptions of his injury as well as rather unusual image of a piece of sheet music floating down from the sky. This makes it one of the more significant, and certainly one of the more intriguing extracts.
It begins with a description of the pain which Shigematsu is in when he wakes up the day after the blast. This is important, as it is one of the first instances in the novel where Shigematsu describes in detail the ‘excruciating pain’ which he is in. In previous extracts from his diary, he barely mentions his own discomfort, and the reader assumes that he had hardly noticed since he was in such great shock. Earlier in the novel, he refers to his injuries in an almost detached manner, as if he can not quite believe that it is his face which is peeling away. This extract is very different, as Shigematsu has not only recognised the pain that he is in but describes it in detail, and is aware of the location and nature of the pains he feels, writing that ‘the pain was different in quality from usual’. He gives a detailed description of how he raises himself from bed, and his perseverance and initiative are impressive. In order to get up, he writes that he had to ‘turn my body on its side’, then get onto his knees as ‘one elbow goes to the bed, while one presses oneself up with the other hand’. He observes that ‘sufferers from Lumbago get up in the same way’, and that the movement of his arms was similar to the ‘position as when someone doing a classical Japanese dance gets up off the floor’ and he wonders to himself if the originator of the Japanese dance had suffered from Lumbago. This use of this type of humour is typical of Shigematsu’s diary. It may seem odd, almost tasteless infact for him to have maintained his sense of humour throughout these events, yet it demonstrates his strength of character, as well as the degree of shock which he is in as he associates what he sees which very bizarre images.
