The novel represents the elegiac set
of narrator’s memories, his fantastic youth. The first person narration is
dynamic filled with joy and happiness, the innocence of a young man and his
fellows. The naming has got double meaning, the express trains between Izu and Tokyo are called “ Dancer
Trains”.
The author tries to find out his
identity, his personality, he describes himself, yet, what he reads later on,
doesn’t reflect his inner soul, for that reason he continues the pursuit for
so-called self-discovery. The novel stands for liberation, to be more precise, the
author is not chained by any obligations of studying, of listening to others
orders, of being obedient. Instead, he manifests exuberance.
The Izu Pennisula is vibrant with
life, large, the landscape is breathtaking, all is new and fresh. Simply
different. There is also love, the love is beautifully described in the diary,
the girl is a master of a young man, she does anything the young man asks for,
she represents joyful time, happiness, eternity and tranquility.
The novel is very sentimental,
lyrical, soft, the words float – tell the story of first innocent love that
prevails, will never be forgotten. It lasts forever. The massage
the author conveys is not purely romantic, it has got more profound and darker
meaning. The diary has got a melancholic tone, a little bit sad and mystical,
the author is tired of searching for his inner-core, his stops analyzing his introspection
which perceives as boredom. The novel might but not necessarily has to be
perceived as a manifesto of “song of innocence”. The narrator focuses on “orphan
psychology”. He writes about the girl who entirely enchanted him, who took his
breath away, jilted him to the bone.
He exaggerated the feeling the girl
shared toward his personal account, yet, it pleases him, gives him a sense of
being loved. Fulfills his ego. The girl is young, for the author, though, it
doesn’t matter, he sees her more older and mature than she really is. The image of ‘Michiko’ is a ‘false-ghost image’.
He doesn’t feel a sexual desire, he admires her just as she is … maybe he sees
his sister, the dancing girl seems to be a mirror-image of the narrator’s
sister who died far too soon. Therefore he looks at her like a brother, even
though, he sees her nude body, it doesn’t change his feelings, he wants to
protect her, keeps her out of harm.
The narrator surprises us, he uses
puns and everyday language to amuse the reader, the language is so simple,
descriptive, every single word is filled with the feeling of desire, happiness,
sadness, so plain and profound, at the same time.
“… her hair so rich…”
The girl is subordinate, she devotes
to the narrator, she plays with him, yet, she doesn’t love him. She, simply,
likes him.
“… Perhaps I didn’t want (…) any marriage…”.
The notion of Noh plays is palatable
in the novel, its tradition goes back to shoguns’ times, samurai era. The author’s
novel is no different in notion, it refers to so-called “road-affair”. He loves
the girl, on his way back to Tokyo
he breaks down and cries, he knows he will be missing her, she, on the other
hand, will always hunt his mind and thoughts like a ghost, follows him like a
shadow.
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