〈Poetic Imagination: A Theoretical Analysis of Five Representative Novels by Kenzaburō Ōe〉

/ Chen Qingyang

I. Kenzaburō Ōe’s Creative Career and Novelistic Features

1. Creative Career:
Kenzaburō Ōe, born in 1935, is one of the most intellectually profound and globally influential writers in postwar Japan. He was born in a mountain village in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan, and during his childhood was deeply influenced by traditional Japanese culture and rural life. The experience of Japan’s defeat in World War II, the democratization reforms, and the drastic transformation of Japanese social values profoundly shaped his later thought and creative direction.

During his studies in the French Literature Department at the University of Tokyo, Ōe began engaging in literary creation and was greatly influenced by French existentialist thought and modern literature, particularly inspired by writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and François Rabelais. In 1957, he emerged into prominence with the short story A Strange Job. In 1958, he published The Catch, which depicts the story of wartime rural youths and captured African soldiers, winning the Akutagawa Prize and thereby establishing his significant position in the Japanese literary world.

In the 1960s, Ōe’s writing gradually turned toward reflections on postwar Japanese society and political issues. His novels often explore war memory, national responsibility, and individual ethics. Representative works include The Silent Cry (萬延元年的足球隊), which, set against the backdrop of rural history and modern social conflicts, exhibits a grand historical vision and symbolic structure.

In 1963, Ōe’s eldest son was born with a brain disorder, an event that became a crucial turning point in his creative career. He began to explore life ethics, father-son relationships, and the meaning of human existence in depth within his novels. Works such as A Personal Matter (個人的體驗) and The Flood Invades My Spirit (洪水淹沒我的靈魂) profoundly depict the psychological struggles and spiritual growth of a father facing a child with disabilities.

After the 1970s, Ōe’s novels gradually formed a literary world interweaving mythic structures with autobiographical elements. His works often use Shikoku forests and villages as symbolic spaces, combining history, myth, and personal memory to create a unique narrative universe.

In 1994, Kenzaburō Ōe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for “creating imaginative worlds with poetic force, depicting visions in which human life and myth are intertwined,” becoming the second Japanese writer to receive this honor after Yasunari Kawabata. Thereafter, he continued to write and publish essays, focusing on nuclear weapons, democracy, and human rights issues, demonstrating a strong public intellectual spirit.

2. Five Most Representative Novels
Kenzaburō Ōe is one of the most intellectually profound writers in postwar Japanese literature, and his works are frequently discussed by literary scholars from historical, philosophical, psychological, and political perspectives. In academia and criticism, the following five novels are considered the most frequently discussed and representative works:

1. The Catch (飼育) (1958)
The Catch is Kenzaburō Ōe’s breakthrough work and won the Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Prize.
The novel is set in a Japanese rural village near the end of World War II, where an African-American prisoner of war is captured by villagers and placed under the supervision of local boys. The story reveals the complex contradictions of war, race, and human nature through the gradually developing emotional relationship between the boys and the prisoner.

Key points of academic discussion:

• Symbolism of war and violence
• The closed nature of Japanese rural society
• The awakening of human nature from a boy’s perspective

This work established Ōe’s later creative focus on war memory and ethical issues.

2. A Personal Matter (個人的體驗) (1964)
This is one of Ōe’s most important and influential autobiographical novels.
The story depicts a father who discovers after his son’s birth that the child has a severe brain defect, and portrays the father’s immense psychological struggle between avoidance and responsibility.

Key points of academic discussion:

• Issues of life ethics
• Father-son relationships and family responsibility
• Existential-style spiritual dilemmas

This novel is considered one of the most profound explorations of disability and the value of life in Japanese literature.

3. The Silent Cry (萬延元年的足球隊) (1967)
This long novel is regarded by many critics as one of Kenzaburō Ōe’s highest artistic achievements.
Set in a rural area of Shikoku, Japan, the story intertwines a 1960s rural uprising with historical events from a 19th-century peasant revolt.

Key points of academic discussion:

• Historical cycles and collective violence
• Rural myth and political metaphor
• Family history and national memory

The work has a grand structure and strong symbolic meaning, and is celebrated as an important milestone in postwar Japanese fiction.

4. The Game of Contemporaries (同時代的遊戲) (1979)
This is one of Ōe’s long novels with the densest intellectual content and most complex narrative structure.
The novel centers on the history and myth of a fictional village, depicting modern Japanese history and national spirit through a multi-layered narrative structure.

Key points of academic discussion:

• Myth and historical narrative
• National identity and cultural memory
• Experimentation in narrative structure

Many scholars consider this work to represent the grandest intellectual construction in Ōe’s novels.

5. A Burning Green Tree (燃燒的綠樹) (1993–1995)
This is a long novel composed of a trilogy and is considered a major peak in Ōe’s late-period work.
The story revolves around a spiritual group with religious characteristics, discussing faith, redemption, and the human spiritual crisis.

Key points of academic discussion:

• Religious symbolism and spiritual redemption
• Social ethics and human destiny
• Interweaving of myth and modern society

The work reflects Ōe’s profound late-life reflections on human civilization and spiritual crises.

Summary
From the perspective of literary research, criticism, and academic discussion, the five most important novels by Kenzaburō Ōe are generally considered to be:

1. The Catch (飼育)
2. A Personal Matter (個人的體驗)
3. The Silent Cry (萬延元年的足球隊)
4. The Game of Contemporaries (同時代的遊戲)
5. A Burning Green Tree (燃燒的綠樹)

These five works almost completely present the core themes of Ōe’s novels:

• War and historical memory
• Life ethics and family relationships
• Rural myth and national culture
• Existential philosophy
• Spiritual redemption of humanity

It is precisely because of these creative achievements that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994.

III. Novelistic Features:

1. Postwar History and Political Reflection
Kenzaburō Ōe’s novels pay profound attention to Japan’s postwar history and political responsibility. He often reflects on war trauma and national ideology through the depiction of characters’ fates and the history of rural villages. For example, The Silent Cry (萬延元年的足球隊) presents political contradictions and historical cycles of modern Japanese society through the historical metaphor of a village rebellion.

2. Existentialism and Ethical Reflection
Ōe’s works are deeply influenced by existentialist philosophy, and his characters frequently face moral choices and spiritual dilemmas. His novels not only depict individual loneliness and despair but also explore how people seek ethics and dignity in extreme situations. In A Personal Matter (個人的體驗), the father’s struggle with the fate of his disabled infant is a profound inquiry into the meaning of life.

3. Autobiographical Elements and Family Themes
Family experience occupies a central position in Ōe’s novels. In particular, his relationship with his disabled son becomes an important theme in many works. Through the depiction of father-son relationships, Ōe explores themes of love, responsibility, and growth, giving his works strong emotional tension and realism.

4. Myth and Symbolic Structure
Kenzaburō Ōe skillfully incorporates Japanese folklore, myths, and local history into his novels. He often uses the forests of Shikoku as symbolic spaces, allowing characters to seek identity and historical memory in a world where reality and myth intertwine, forming a narrative style with an epic quality.

5. Complex Narrative Structure
His novels often feature multi-layered narratives, combining memories, myths, and real events, presenting a form in which time and space intersect. This narrative approach gives his works a high density of thought and literary depth.

6. Intellectual Spirit and Social Concern
Ōe is not only a novelist but also an intellectual actively engaged in public issues. His works focus on nuclear weapons, democratic institutions, and human rights issues, offering critique and reflection on the moral responsibility of Japanese society.

Summary
Overall, Kenzaburō Ōe’s novels integrate historical reflection, existential philosophy, and mythic symbolism, forming a creative style that combines intellectual depth with literary imagination. By depicting the interplay between individual fate and social history, he demonstrates humanity’s pursuit of dignity and hope amid suffering and adversity, making his works an important milestone in postwar Japanese literature.

II. Textual Analysis and Discussion of Five Representative Novels

1. The Catch (飼育) (1958)

(A) Story Summary and Focused Themes

1. Story Summary

(1) The World of Wartime Rural Boys
The narrator of the novel is a boy living in a remote mountain village in Japan. The story is set in a Japanese rural village near the end of World War II. The village is isolated from the outside world, and the boys’ lives are monotonous and confined. Their understanding of the war is vague, and they only sense a vague fear and unease from fragmented news.

(2) The Appearance of the African-American Prisoner of War
One day, a U.S. military plane crashes nearby, and an African-American pilot is captured by the villagers and imprisoned in the village warehouse. This prisoner of war is regarded as an “other,” and the villagers are both fearful and curious about him. The village children are arranged to take turns guarding the prisoner, gradually forming a peculiar interactive relationship with him.

(3) Friendship Between the Boys and the Prisoner
At first, the boys treat the prisoner as if he were an animal or a monster, but over time, they gradually realize that he is actually a person with feelings and dignity. The narrator and the prisoner begin to establish a certain tacit understanding and friendship; through simple gestures and expressions, they develop an emotional connection that crosses language and cultural barriers.

(4) Violence and Tragic Ending
However, when the prisoner attempts to escape, the villagers panic. To maintain order and cover up the incident, the villagers ultimately kill the prisoner. The boy narrator witnesses everything firsthand, experiencing a profound psychological shock. This event is the first time he truly comprehends the cruelty and violence of the adult world.

2. Focused Themes

(1) Human Contradictions in War
Through the relationship between the African-American prisoner and the Japanese villagers, the novel reveals how war distorts human nature, causing people to lose basic ethical judgment amid fear and hatred.

(2) The Boundary Between Civilization and Barbarism
The villagers superficially maintain order and collective norms, but when facing foreigners and fear, they exhibit extreme cruelty. The novel questions the boundary between civilized society and barbaric behavior.

(3) The Growth and Awakening of the Boy
Through contact with the prisoner, the narrator gradually becomes aware of the complexity of human nature. The prisoner’s death symbolizes the end of his childhood innocence and marks the first time he truly understands the cruelty of adult society.

(4) Race and the Awareness of the Other
The African-American prisoner is perceived by the villagers as a kind of “other.” Through this figure, the novel exposes humanity’s fear and rejection of strangers.

(5) Collective Violence and Group Psychology
Under group pressure, the villagers commit violent acts, showing how individuals can easily lose moral judgment within the collective will.

(6) The Erosion of Rural Society by War
Even rural villages far from the battlefield cannot escape the spiritual destruction caused by war. War permeates daily life through fear and hatred.

(B) Theoretical Analysis and Discussion

1. Novel Structure Studies

(1) Overall Structure

A. Single Event Structure
The novel revolves around the core event of “the prisoner is captured—the boys guard him—the prisoner is killed.” The plot is concentrated and tight, forming a strong tragic tension.

B. Bildungsroman Structure
The story also possesses characteristics of a “coming-of-age novel.” The boy completes a psychological transformation from innocence to awakening through the course of events.

(2) Timeline

A. Linear Narrative
The novel generally proceeds in chronological order according to the occurrence of events, presenting a clear and compact narrative rhythm.

B. Condensation of Events
The entire story takes place within a relatively short period, giving the plot a high degree of concentration and a sense of pressure.

2. Narrative Studies

(1) Narrator’s Perspective

A. First-Person Boy’s Perspective
The story is told by a boy narrator, giving the entire event a strong sense of subjectivity and the coloring of childhood memories.

B. Limited Perspective
The narrator does not understand the full truth of the adult world, so many events carry ambiguity and a sense of mystery.

(2) Narrative Strategies

A. Calm and Restrained Narrative Tone
Ōe uses calm and restrained language to describe acts of violence, making the tragedy even more striking.

B. Symbolic Details
The author often suggests characters’ psychology through actions, expressions, and environmental descriptions, rather than stating them directly.

C. Defamiliarization Effect of the Child’s Perspective
Through the boy’s observations, the violence and absurdity of adult society are presented more clearly.

3. Psychological Analysis of the Novel

(1) Narrator’s Psychology

A. Interweaving of Curiosity and Fear
At first, the boy is full of curiosity about the prisoner but is also influenced by the villagers’ fearful emotions.

B. Sympathy and Moral Awakening
As contact increases, he gradually realizes that the prisoner is also an ordinary person, which produces sympathy and understanding.

(2) The Prisoner’s Symbolic Role

A. Symbol of Humanity
The prisoner symbolizes the fundamental dignity and value of human life.

B. Awareness of the Other
His existence forces the villagers to confront their fear and prejudice toward strangers.

(3) Group Psychology
The villagers’ violent acts reflect panic and herd behavior in group psychology, revealing how humans can easily lose moral judgment under collective pressure.

4. Rhetorical Studies of the Novel

(1) Language Style

A. Concise and Austere
Ōe’s language style is concise and powerful, avoiding excessive emotionalization, giving the narrative a sense of austere strength.

B. Realistic Technique
The novel depicts rural life in a realistic manner, with vivid and concrete details.

(2) Use of Imagery

A. Mountain Village Imagery
The isolated mountain village symbolizes a social space cut off from the outside world, suggesting ideological and cultural confinement.

B. Prisoner Imagery
The African-American prisoner symbolizes both the “other” and a touchstone of human nature and civilization.

(3) Symbolism and Metaphor
The prisoner’s death symbolizes the destruction of human nature by war and also represents the collapse of the boy’s innocent world.

(4) Memorable Phrases and Rhetorical Techniques in the Novel
The Catch (飼育) contains many symbolically rich descriptions, such as depictions of the prisoner’s body, actions, and expressions, giving the character a sense of mystery and tragic color. The author frequently hints at characters’ psychology through descriptions of natural scenery and action details, creating a subtle and profound symbolic effect.

Summary Analysis
The Catch (飼育) is one of Kenzaburō Ōe’s most important early works and marks the starting point of his literary creation. Through a simple yet brutal event, the novel reveals the profound contradictions among war, race, and human nature.

Structurally, the work employs concentrated and tight event narration; narratively, it uses a boy’s perspective to create a defamiliarization effect; psychologically, it deeply portrays moral awakening within collective violence; rhetorically, it employs concise and symbolic language to convey profound reflections on human nature.

2. A Personal Matter (1964)

(A) Summary of the Story and Focused Themes

1. Story Summary

(1) The Narrator’s Life and Responsibility
The novel is told from a first-person narrator, “I,” who is an ordinary middle-aged Japanese man. His ordinary life is disrupted by a sudden family event. The story focuses on his psychological, emotional, and behavioral reactions to the diagnosis of his young son with cerebellar atrophy (cerebellar atrophy causing motor and speech impairments). The novel portrays the narrator’s anxiety, guilt, and helplessness in facing his child’s disability while simultaneously presenting the reconstruction of his family’s daily life.

(2) Family Pressure and Ethical Dilemmas
The narrator’s wife and mother react differently to the child’s condition, creating intersecting layers of responsibility and internal conflict for the narrator within the family. He senses society’s discrimination against disabled children and faces medical and moral dilemmas, such as whether to allow his child to undergo a high-risk surgery. Interactions among family members reveal multiple dimensions of human nature, responsibility, and love.

(3) Religious and Spiritual Exploration
The narrator’s spiritual dilemma and search for the meaning of life are often presented through religion, philosophy, and personal meditation. While confronting his child’s illness, he experiences pain, fear, and occasional nihilism, attempting to find guidance or solace through religious or philosophical reflection.

(4) Self-Reflection and Moral Awakening
Through prolonged exposure to the child’s suffering and the ongoing dilemma, the narrator gradually recognizes his emotional limitations, social responsibilities, and ethical choices. The novel concludes with his repeated internal struggles and contemplation, presenting a philosophical depth of personal moral awakening and life experience.

2. Focused Themes

(1) Fragility and Uncertainty of Life
Through the depiction of the child’s illness and the family’s response, the novel emphasizes the fragility and impermanence of life, as well as human fear and anxiety when facing uncontrollable events.

(2) Paternal Responsibility and Ethical Exploration
The narrator feels profound responsibility for his child’s suffering. The novel deeply explores the moral choices, anxieties, and psychological burdens of a father confronting a life-threatening situation.

(3) Interactional Pressure between Family and Society
The novel presents how family members, the medical system, and societal values influence the narrator’s actions and emotions, exploring the tension between social norms and private feelings.

(4) Loneliness and Psychological Alienation
Under family responsibilities and social pressure, the narrator experiences profound loneliness and psychological alienation. This sense of alienation is both concrete and spiritual, reflecting Ōe’s concern with individual existential anxiety.

(5) Religious and Existential Philosophical Inquiry
Through the narrator’s reflections on the meaning of life, symbolic religious descriptions, and exploration of moral dilemmas, the novel presents an existential philosophical texture.

(B) Theoretical Analysis and Discussion

1. Novel Structure Studies

(1) Overall Structure

A. Combination of Linear and Fragmented Elements
The main storyline centers on the child’s illness but intersperses the narrator’s memories, meditations, and philosophical reflections, creating a structure in which linear events and psychological fragments are intertwined.

B. Open Ending
The novel does not provide a clear “solution” but concludes with the narrator’s internal reflections, reflecting the continuity and irresolvability of life’s dilemmas.

(2) Timeline

A. Interweaving of Events and Inner Life
The novel alternates between real events and internal monologue. Time is not completely linear, with past memories and present actions interwoven, highlighting the tension between psychological state and reality.

B. Psychological Stasis and Emotional Flow
The pacing of the story is sometimes slow, presenting the narrator’s psychological stasis. Yet through emotional responses and family interactions, implicit psychological changes and growth are suggested.

2. Narrative Studies of the Novel

(1) Narrator’s Perspective

A. First-Person Narration:
The narrator describes the child’s illness and family life as a firsthand experiencer, using a tone that is sincere yet calm, carrying a philosophical sense of self-examination.

B. Non-Heroic Perspective:
The narrator is not the controller of the plot but a witness to moral and psychological struggles, presenting the vulnerability and powerlessness of an ordinary person confronting difficulties.

(2) Narrative Strategies

A. Concise Language:
The wording is precise and calm, carrying an analytical quality, emphasizing the presentation of psychological depiction and ethical issues.

B. Psychological Gaps:
The depiction of the narrator’s emotions often leaves blank spaces, allowing readers to feel his inner struggles themselves.

C. Dialogue and Interior Monologue

a. Realism of Dialogue:
The interactions among family members are simple and direct, reflecting daily life and psychological conflicts.

b. Philosophical Monologue:
Through inner monologues, the narrator explores the meaning of life, ethical responsibilities, and existential dilemmas, providing a framework of intellectual depth.

3. Psychological Analysis of the Novel

(1) Psychological Characteristics of the Protagonist

A. Paternal Anxiety:
The narrator feels immense pressure regarding the child’s illness, combining both protective instincts and a sense of helplessness, highlighting psychological contradictions.

B. Existential Loneliness:
Under family and social pressures, he experiences profound isolation and psychological alienation.

(2) Symbolism of the Child and Family Members

A. The Child:
The child symbolizes the fragility of life and the powerlessness of human existence, driving the narrator’s moral and psychological inquiry.

B. Mother and Other Family Members:
They symbolize social norms and ethical pressures, presenting the tension between the individual and society.

(3) Concern for the World:
The narrator struggles amid anxiety, guilt, and love, and the novel presents how an individual seeks self-positioning within ethics, affection, and social expectations.

4. Rhetorical Analysis of the Novel

(1) Language Style

A. Concise yet Layered:
The wording appears calm on the surface but carries deep philosophical meaning and psychological depiction.

B. Solemn yet Delicate Tone:
The calm narration contains emotional tension, with poetic depictions of the child’s suffering, family ethics, and societal pressure.

(2) Use of Imagery

A. Illness as a Symbol of Life:
The child’s illness symbolizes life’s fragility, the uncertainty of existence, and ethical dilemmas.

B. Religious and Philosophical Symbols:
The narrator’s meditation on religion and philosophy enhances the text’s depth of thought.

(3) Technique of Leaving Blank Spaces:
The novel deliberately downplays certain plot descriptions, especially the child’s suffering and medical details, allowing readers to experience emotional tension and ethical dilemmas themselves.

(4) Thought-Provoking Lines and Rhetorical Techniques

A. “The burden of life lies not in strength, but in the choices made when powerless.”
Analysis: Uses contrast rhetoric to emphasize the difference between strength and ethical choice.

B. “I watched him suffer, but the suffering was not his alone; it spread to the entire family.”
Analysis: Employs metaphor and symbolism, transforming individual suffering into collective psychological tension, reflecting the extension of family ethics.

C. “The silence of God reminds me that life holds no fairness.”
Analysis: Combines religious symbolism with philosophical language, expressing life’s uncertainty and ethical responsibility.

Summary Analysis:
“A Personal Matter” as Ōe Kenzaburō’s (大江健三郎) breakout work exhibits his typical style: focusing on the individual’s profound reflection on life, ethics, and existential dilemmas. The novel employs a first-person perspective, psychological depiction, and philosophical language to shape themes of paternal anxiety, life’s fragility, and ethical responsibility. Through psychological analysis, it reveals the individual’s mental tension under family, social, and ethical pressures; rhetorically, its concise yet layered language, symbolic imagery, and use of blank spaces combine philosophical depth with emotional tension.

3. The Soccer Team of the First Year of Man’en (1967)

(I) Summary of the Story and Focused Themes

1. Summary of the Story

(1) The Narrator’s Youthful Experience and Social Observation:
The novel is narrated in the first person by “I,” recalling his own youth, set in an imagined period around the First Year of Man’en (late 1860s), before and after the Meiji Restoration in Japan. The narrator recalls his experience of forming a “soccer team” with a group of boys. Through daily life of matches, practices, and friendships, the novel presents the psychology of youth, group interactions, and individual growth. The story focuses on the narrator’s observations of collective life, competition, friendship, and social order, depicted with a tone of humor, absurdity, and satire that reflects the atmosphere of the era.

(2) Historical and Political Metaphors:
The formation of the soccer team and the process of matches symbolize social order, power structures, and a miniature model of national politics. The actions and competitions of the boys are metaphors for the trials of nation-building, simultaneously absurd and critical of history and authority. Ōe depicts, through the boys’ perspective, humorous observations of bureaucrats, teachers, and parents, revealing the rigidity and contradictions of Japanese social structures.

(3) Absurdity and Social Critique:
The novel deliberately mixes real history with fictional events, presenting an absurdized historical narrative. Each member of the soccer team has peculiar characteristics, and the development of events is often unexpected, creating a sense of absurdity. This absurd technique not only enhances the story’s amusement but also satirizes the rigidity of traditional authority, collective behavior, and historical concepts.

(4) Self-Recognition and Ethical Exploration:
While reflecting on his youthful experiences, the narrator examines his role, responsibilities, and the ethical meaning of his actions within the group. Through competition, conflict, and friendship interactions, he gradually forms an understanding of justice, courage, and loyalty, showing individual growth and ethical awakening.

2. Focused Themes

(1) Tension Between the Collective and the Individual:
Through the daily life and matches of the soccer team, the novel depicts the struggles of boys between group norms and personal will, exploring how collective action affects individual psychology.

(2) Absurdity of Authority and History:
Teachers, officials, and parents in the novel symbolize traditional authority. Their decisions and actions are often absurd, reflecting the contingency and absurdity inherent in historical processes.

(3) Growth, Friendship, and Ethical Awakening:
Through interactions with teammates and experiences in competitions, the narrator gradually understands the importance of responsibility, cooperation, and ethical choice, presenting the maturation process of the youth’s psyche.

(4) Observation of Society and the Individual:
The novel employs humor and satire to portray social structure, power distribution, and cultural norms, reflecting on society and human nature from the perspective of youth.

(5) Historical Fiction and Philosophical Speculation:
The novel merges historical reality with fictional events, using absurdity, symbolism, and metaphor to present historical uncertainty, ethical questions, and the relationship between the individual and the collective.

(II) Theoretical Analysis and Discussion

1. Novel Structural Studies

(1) Overall Structure

A. Linear Narrative Interspersed with Memories:
The main story follows the activities of the boys’ soccer team but is interspersed with the narrator’s reflections, absurd episodes, and historical imaginings, forming a structure in which linear events and psychological fragments intersect.

B. Open Ending:
The novel does not clearly convey the narrator’s adult fate or the outcome of the soccer team at the conclusion, instead ending with reflection and absurd depictions, reinforcing the uncertainty of history and the philosophical depth of the narration.

(2) Timeline

A. Interweaving of History and Psychology:
The novel’s time presents an interweaving of past memories and the narrator’s psychological flow, including both the narrative line of youthful events and the reflective line of adult retrospection.

B. Variation in Event Pace:
Match scenes and absurd episodes have a tight pace, while reflections and philosophical monologues proceed slowly, creating a contrast between psychological and narrative rhythm.

2. Narrative Studies of the Novel

(1) Narrator’s Perspective

A. First-Person Narration:
The narrator presents the story as a retrospective, with a tone carrying humor, satire, and philosophical meaning, combining observational and reflective qualities.

B. Non-Heroic Perspective:
The narrator is not the manipulator of the story but a witness and thinker, presenting the contradictions and confusion of an ordinary boy under collective and historical pressure.

(2) Narrative Strategies

A. Language Style:
The text is concise and humorous, emphasizing psychological depiction and ethical metaphor.

B. Psychological Gaps:
Some absurd events and inner struggles are not fully revealed, leaving space for readers to imagine and reflect.

C. Dialogue and Monologue

a. Realism of Dialogue:
Dialogues among teammates and teachers are simple, showing natural interactions and authority relations in daily youth life.

b. Philosophical Reflection:
The narrator uses monologue to reflect on ethics, courage, and responsibility, enhancing philosophical depth.

3. Psychological Analysis of the Novel

(1) Psychological Traits of the Protagonist

A. Growth Anxiety:
The narrator struggles with collective responsibility and his personal role, highlighting psychological tension.

B. Social Observation:
He observes the behavior of teammates and the adult world with a sensitive and humorous perspective, showing the complexity of a boy’s psychology.

(2) Symbols of the Group and Society

A. The Soccer Team:
The team symbolizes social order and power structures, and the boys’ competitions and actions metaphorically reflect nation-building and ethical trials.

B. Teachers, Parents, and Officials:
They symbolize traditional authority, and their absurd behavior reflects social norms and the uncertainty of history.

(3) Concern for the World:
Through humor, absurdity, and reflection, the narrator observes society and history, showing the psychological process of an individual seeking positioning among collective forces, authority, and ethics.

4. Rhetorical Studies of the Novel

(1) Language Style

A. Concise Humor:
The text appears light on the surface but implicitly contains philosophical and ethical inquiries.

B. Absurd Poetic Quality:
Through absurd events in the narration, social critique and ethical reflection are presented.

(2) Use of Imagery

A. Soccer Matches:
Soccer matches symbolize competition, social order, and historical progression.

B. Absurd Events:
Absurd events symbolize contradictions and irrationality within social norms and authority.

(3) Technique of Leaving Blank Spaces (留白)
The novel deliberately leaves portions of absurd events and psychological depictions blank, enhancing the reader’s reflection on ethics, society, and personal growth.

(4) Thought-Provoking Quotations and Rhetorical Techniques

A. “We are not just playing soccer, but also the rules of the entire society.”
Analysis: Combines metaphor and symbolism, elevating the boys’ game to a societal metaphorical level.

B. “The orders of authority are sometimes harder to conquer than the goal.”
Analysis: Uses humor and satire, contrasting social power and the difficulty of the game, highlighting absurdity.

C. “In my teammates’ laughter, I saw my own future and fears.”
Analysis: Combines symbolism and psychological depiction, presenting the youth’s ethical and psychological reflection on self and collective.

Summary Analysis:
The Soccer Team of the First Year of Man’en is a typical early work of Ōe Kenzaburō, a historical absurdist novel. Using the story of a boys’ soccer team as a metaphor, it explores societal, historical, and ethical issues. Through first-person narration, humor, absurdity, and philosophical reflection, it presents the psychology of youth, the tension between collective and individual, and a critique of authority and social order. From psychological and rhetorical perspectives, the novel employs concise humorous language, symbolic imagery, absurd events, and the technique of leaving blank spaces, making the text simultaneously philosophical, ethically deep, and narratively engaging.

4. The Game of the Same Era (1979)

(I) Summary of the Story and Focused Themes

1. Summary of the Story

(1) The Narrator’s Adult Perspective and Social Responsibility:
The novel is narrated in the first person by “I,” who is an adult Japanese male situated within the postwar society’s realities and political environment. The story focuses on his observation of contemporary events, moral judgments, and sense of social responsibility, as well as his psychological responses and behavioral choices in intimate relationships, work life, and the political environment. The novel depicts the narrator’s psychological struggle when facing social injustice, personal moral dilemmas, and ethical challenges, while also showing his complex interactions with family, friends, and colleagues.

(2) Social Pressure and Ethical Dilemmas:
The narrator encounters ethical conflicts and moral challenges in the family, workplace, and public society. He perceives society’s neglect of the weak, minority groups, and individual conscience, and faces limits and responsibilities in his own actions. The attitudes of family members, friends, and colleagues reflect the diverse conflicts of social norms and values, making the novel a field for ethical exploration and social observation.

(3) Politics, History, and Spiritual Exploration:
In the novel, the narrator reflects on the political atmosphere, historical events, and cultural changes in postwar Japanese society. His spiritual distress is often expressed through philosophy, religion, and personal inner monologue. The novel explores how historical events affect individual psychology and ethical choices, and how an individual seeks meaning within the currents of politics and history.

(4) Self-Reflection and Moral Awakening:
When facing contradictions between social and personal responsibility, the narrator gradually recognizes the importance of his emotional limits, ethical choices, and moral stance. The novel concludes with his reflection on his actions, social observations, and ethical judgments, presenting moral awakening and self-recognition in adulthood.

2. Focused Themes

(1) Social Ethics and Personal Responsibility:
Through depicting the narrator’s responses to social events and interpersonal relationships, the novel highlights the responsibility, moral dilemmas, and psychological tension of an adult under social pressure.

(2) Presence of History and Politics:
The novel presents the historical influence and political atmosphere of postwar Japan, exploring how an individual understands justice, power, and ethics within the flow of history.

(3) Interaction Pressure Between Family and Society:
When facing multiple expectations from family, friends, and colleagues, the narrator demonstrates the difficulty of ethical choices and psychological struggles, revealing the conflict between individual and societal values.

(4) Sense of Loneliness and Psychological Alienation:
Under societal, familial, and workplace pressures, the narrator experiences isolation and psychological estrangement, reflecting Ōe’s extended concern for individual existential anxiety.

(5) Philosophical Thought and Ethical Reflection:
Through the narrator’s reflection on life, history, society, and ethics, the novel presents an existentialist philosophical quality and a deep exploration of individual and social responsibility.

(II) Academic Analysis and Discussion

1. Structural Studies of the Novel

(1) Overall Structure

A. Linear Narrative Interspersed with Fragments:
The main storyline unfolds along the narrator’s observations of social events and personal life, interspersed with memories, psychological monologues, and philosophical reflections, forming a structure where real events and psychological fragments are interwoven.

B. Open-Ended Conclusion:
The novel does not provide a definitive solution at the end, instead concluding with the narrator’s inner reflections, reflecting the continuity of social and personal dilemmas.

(2) Timeline

A. Interweaving of Events and Inner Life:
Real events, memories, and psychological monologues are presented alternately; time is not strictly linear, emphasizing the tension between individual psychology and social reality.

B. Psychological Stasis and Emotional Flow:
The story’s pacing is sometimes slow, presenting the narrator’s psychological stasis regarding social phenomena. Through emotional responses and ethical struggles, implicit psychological growth and awakening are conveyed.

2. Narrative Studies of the Novel

(1) Narrator Perspective

A. First-Person Narration:
The narrator presents social events, ethical dilemmas, and personal life as a firsthand witness, with a tone that is sincere, rational, and philosophically meaningful.

B. Non-Heroic Perspective:
The narrator is not the agent of action but a witness to moral and psychological struggles, presenting the helplessness of ordinary people under the pressures of reality and history.

(2) Narrative Strategies

A. Concise Language:
The text is precise and calm, emphasizing psychological depiction, ethical reflection, and social critique.

B. Psychological Blank Spaces (留白):
Descriptions of the narrator’s emotions, inner struggles, and ethical judgments often leave blanks, allowing readers to feel the psychological tension themselves.

C. Dialogue and Inner Monologue

a. Realism in Dialogue:
Interactions within family, workplace, and society are simple and genuine, showing natural daily life and ethical conflicts.

b. Philosophical Monologue:
Through inner monologues, the narrator explores the meaning of life, social responsibility, and ethical choices, providing intellectual depth.

3. Psychological Analysis of the Novel

(1) Psychological Traits of the Protagonist

A. Ethical Anxiety:
The narrator feels anxious when facing social injustice and personal moral choices, highlighting psychological conflict.

B. Existential Loneliness:
Under multiple pressures from society, family, and the workplace, the narrator experiences isolation and psychological estrangement.

(2) Symbolism of Family and Social Members

A. Family:
Symbolizes personal emotional attachment and moral responsibility, reflecting ethical pressure.

B. Friends, Colleagues, and Society:
Symbolize social norms, authority, and historical influence, showing the tension between the individual and society.

(3) Concern for the World:
The narrator struggles between ethics, responsibility, love, and social expectations. The novel presents how an adult individual seeks self-positioning and moral direction.

4. Rhetorical Studies of the Novel

(1) Language Style

A. Concise and Multi-Layered:
The text appears calm on the surface but implicitly conveys philosophical reflection and psychological depiction.

B. Melancholic and Subtle Tone:
Calm narration conveys emotional tension and ethical dilemmas.

(2) Use of Imagery

A. Everyday Events:
Symbolize social ethics and historical pressure, depicting existential dilemmas through details.

B. Absurd Events and Social Dialogue:
Symbolize the contradictions among social norms, authority, and personal responsibility.

(3) Technique of Leaving Blank Spaces (留白):
The novel softens some psychological depictions and ethical details, allowing readers to feel the narrator’s psychological tension and social dilemmas themselves.

(4) Thought-Provoking Quotations and Rhetorical Techniques

A. “We live in the same era, yet each person’s moral choice is isolated.”
Analysis: Uses symbolism and philosophical language, emphasizing the loneliness and responsibility inherent in ethical choices.

B. “History waits for no one, nor does it forgive hesitant conscience.”
Analysis: Combines metaphor and aphorism, contrasting historical progression with individual responsibility, reinforcing ethical tension.

C. “I try to understand the world, but the silence of the world reminds me that action is more important than understanding.”
Analysis: Combines philosophical language with psychological depiction, presenting existential ethical reflection.

Summary Analysis:
The Game of the Same Era is an important work from Ōe Kenzaburō’s mature period, continuing his focus on individual ethics, social responsibility, and psychological struggle. Through first-person narration, psychological depiction, and philosophical language, the novel presents an adult individual’s ethical anxiety and sense of loneliness under family, workplace, and social pressures. From a rhetorical perspective, its concise, multi-layered language, symbolic imagery, use of blank spaces, and philosophically charged quotations combine to give the text philosophical depth, ethical significance, and narrative tension, reflecting Ōe’s profound observation of contemporary Japanese society and individual psychology.

5. The Burning Green Tree (1993–1995)

(I) Story Summary and Focal Themes

1. Story Summary

(1) Narrator’s Personal Memories and Historical Responsibility:
The novel unfolds through the first-person narrator “I,” a middle-aged Japanese man living in a society shaped by the intersection of the postwar period and the Cold War. The story focuses on his recollections of past traumatic events and how these events have shaped his ethical perspective and life choices. The novel depicts the narrator’s psychological struggles, emotional confusion, and self-reflection under the pressures of family, society, and political changes, showing how he confronts the tension between personal memory, social expectations, and historical responsibility.

(2) Family and Social Ethical Dilemmas:
Interactions between the narrator and his family, friends, and colleagues reveal multiple moral and ethical challenges. He experiences pressure and conflict in relation to family responsibilities, social ethics, and political observation—for example, facing the moral choices of relatives, social injustice, and the weight of historical events. The novel presents these conflicts to illustrate an individual’s psychological struggles under familial, social, and historical pressures.

(3) Historical Memory and Spiritual Exploration:
The narrator often immerses himself in contemplation of personal and social history, particularly regarding postwar Japanese social reconstruction and political turbulence. Through philosophical monologues, religious symbolism, and psychological description, the novel shows how an individual seeks spiritual comfort and ethical guidance amid historical trauma and societal pressure.

(4) Self-Reflection and Moral Awakening:
The novel depicts the narrator gradually realizing the significance of his ethical responsibilities, psychological limitations, and choices of action while enduring prolonged pressures from history, society, and family. Ultimately, his reflections reveal an adult individual’s awakening to moral and historical responsibility.

2. Focal Themes

(1) The Weight of History and Individual Responsibility:
Through the narrator’s retrospection and self-reflection on past events, the novel emphasizes the difficulty and psychological pressure of bearing ethical responsibility within the currents of history.

(2) Social Ethics and Political Observation:
The story illustrates how an individual makes choices within the multiple norms of family, society, and politics, reflecting ethical struggle and moral reflection.

(3) Tension Between Family and Social Interaction:
The novel presents the influence of family members, friends, society, and historical events on the narrator’s actions and psyche, exploring the conflict between private emotions and social expectations.

(4) Loneliness and Psychological Estrangement:
Under the burdens of history and ethical decision-making, the narrator experiences isolation and psychological estrangement, demonstrating Ōe Kenzaburō’s concern for individual existential anxiety and mental struggle.

(5) Religious, Philosophical, and Existential Reflection:
Through the narrator’s contemplation of life, history, and social justice, as well as the use of religious symbolism and philosophical monologue, the novel conveys existentialist depth of thought.

(II) Academic Analysis and Discussion

1. Structural Studies of the Novel

(1) Overall Structure

A. Combination of Linear Narrative and Fragments:
The main storyline centers on the narrator’s reflections on historical memory and family events, interspersed with philosophical monologues and psychological fragments, forming a structure in which real events and psychological depictions are interwoven.

B. Open-Ended Conclusion:
The novel does not provide a definitive solution, instead ending with the narrator’s inner contemplation, reflecting the continuity of historical and ethical dilemmas.

(2) Timeline

A. Interweaving of Events and Psychology:
The novel alternates between memories, present actions, and psychological monologues; time is not strictly linear, highlighting psychological tension and the weight of history.

B. Psychological Stasis and Emotional Flow:
When facing historical and ethical decisions, the narrator’s pacing is slow, with emotions rendered delicately and restrained, presenting psychological changes and ethical awakening.

2. Narrative Studies of the Novel

(1) Narrator’s Perspective

A. First-Person Narration:
The narrator presents family, social, and historical events from the perspective of a firsthand witness, with a calm and philosophical tone, integrating psychological analysis and ethical reflection.

B. Non-Heroic Perspective:
The narrator is not the controller of events, but a witness to ethical and psychological struggles, highlighting the vulnerability of ordinary people under historical and social pressures.

(2) Narrative Strategies

A. Concise Language:
The text is precise and calm, emphasizing psychological description, ethical reflection, and social observation.

B. Psychological Ellipsis:
Descriptions of the narrator’s emotions and ethical choices often leave blanks, allowing readers to perceive the psychological tension and the weight of history on their own.

C. Dialogue and Inner Monologue

a. Realism in Dialogue:
Interactions within the family and society are plain and authentic, presenting ethical and psychological conflicts.

b. Philosophical Monologue:
Through inner monologue, the narrator explores history, society, morality, and the meaning of existence, enhancing intellectual depth.

3. Psychological Analysis of the Novel

(1) Psychological Traits of the Protagonist

A. Ethical and Historical Anxiety:
The narrator experiences psychological pressure and moral confusion when confronted with historical trauma and social injustice.

B. Existential Loneliness:
Under pressures from family, society, and history, the narrator experiences isolation and psychological estrangement.

(2) Symbolism of Family and Social Members

A. Family:
Represents emotional attachment, ethical responsibility, and the pressures of private life.

B. Society and Historical Events:
Symbolize external norms, political pressure, and ethical challenges, highlighting the tension between the individual and society.

(3) Regard for the World:
The novel presents the narrator’s struggles between ethics, responsibility, love, and social expectations, exploring how an individual seeks self-positioning and moral direction under historical and social pressures.

4. Rhetoric of the Novel

(1) Language Style

A. Concise yet Multi-Layered:
The text appears calm on the surface while implying philosophical reflection and psychological description.

B. Somber and Subtle Tone:
Through calm narration, it presents emotional tension and ethical dilemmas, rendering family, historical, and social events poetically.

(2) Use of Imagery

A. Historical Events and Family Life:
Symbolize the individual’s ethical responsibility and psychological struggle.

B. Natural Imagery such as Burning Green Trees:
Symbolize life crises, historical trauma, and existential anxiety.

(3) Technique of Ellipsis:
The novel softens some concrete details of historical events and psychological depictions, allowing readers to feel emotional tension and ethical dilemmas on their own.

(4) Thought-Provoking Lines and Rhetorical Techniques

A. “History is like fire; it burns not only the green trees but also consumes our conscience.”
Analysis: Metaphor and symbolism combine natural imagery with ethical responsibility, showing the psychological impact of historical pressure.

B. “The weight of memory prevents me from sleeping and from escaping.”
Analysis: Symbolism and psychological depiction combine, highlighting the individual’s anxiety under the burdens of history and ethics.

C. “Understanding the world is not the end; action is the way to confront trauma.”
Analysis: Philosophical language and ethical reflection combine, presenting existentialist moral contemplation.

Summary Analysis:
The Burning Green Tree is one of Ōe Kenzaburō’s representative works of his mature period, continuing his focus on individual psychology, ethical responsibility, and historical pressure. The novel employs first-person narration, psychological depiction, and philosophical language to present adult individuals’ loneliness, ethical anxiety, and mental struggle under familial, social, and historical pressures. Through symbolic imagery, ellipsis, and philosophical lines, the text integrates philosophical depth, ethical reflection, and narrative tension, demonstrating Ōe’s profound observation of historical trauma and individual moral responsibility.

III. Aesthetic Characteristics of the Novel and Its Influence on Contemporary Japanese Literature

1. Aesthetic Features of Ōe Kenzaburō’s Novels

1. Individual Psychology and Existential Anxiety

• The core feature of Ōe’s novels is the detailed depiction of individual psychology, especially the psychological struggle under family, social, and historical pressures.
• He excels at portraying adult men’s anxiety and loneliness when facing moral responsibility, family events, or social ethical dilemmas, with psychological depictions often carrying existentialist tones.
• For example, in Personal Experience, the father’s anxiety when facing a sick child, and in The Burning Green Tree, the narrator’s self-reflection under historical and ethical burdens, both emphasize the intertwining of psychology and ethics.

2. Tension Between Family and Social Ethics

• Family, society, and history form multiple fields of tension in Ōe’s novels, where the individual’s actions and psychology are inevitably influenced by ethical dilemmas, social expectations, and historical burdens.
• Novels often use family events as a starting point, extending to social norms and historical events, portraying the interweaving of ethics, responsibility, and human nature.

3. Philosophical Narration and Existential Inquiry

• Ōe’s narrative style often carries philosophical traits, using the first-person narrator’s inner monologue to reflect on life’s meaning, moral responsibility, and historical justice.
• It embodies the notion that “thinking is the ethical preparation before action,” giving the novel both philosophical depth and narrative tension.
• Reflection on individual responsibility and socio-political reality in A Play of the Same Era is a typical example.

4. Fragmentation of Time and Narrative Structure

• Novels often employ non-linear temporal narration, interweaving real events, memories, and psychological monologues, contrasting psychological time with objective time.
• This fragmentation enhances narrative psychological depth, highlighting the individual’s isolation and psychological tension when facing real-world difficulties.

5. Symbolic Use of Rhetoric and Imagery

• Ōe skillfully uses symbolism, metaphor, and natural imagery; for instance, in The Burning Green Tree, burning green trees symbolize historical trauma, life crises, and existential anxiety.
• Ellipsis is widely applied, especially in psychological depictions and painful episodes, allowing readers to experience ethical and emotional tension independently.
• Language is concise yet multi-layered, calm but imbued with emotion and philosophical depth, forming a unique aesthetic style combining lyricism and rationality.

6. Exploration of Morality and Ethics

• Ōe’s novels repeatedly explore moral choices and ethical responsibility; whether toward children, family, society, or historical events, the individual faces inescapable ethical decisions.
• Moral responsibility and psychological struggle reflect each other, giving the novel strong ethical depth and tension.

II. Influence of Ōe Kenzaburō’s Novels on Contemporary Japanese Literature

1. Deepening of Psychological Depiction and Existentialist Style

• Ōe introduced existentialism and individual psychological depiction into the mainstream context of Japanese novels, causing contemporary Japanese literature to pay greater attention to the interweaving of psychology, ethics, and existence.
• Later authors, such as Haruki Murakami and Kotaro Isaka, were more or less influenced by Ōe’s novels in their exploration of psychological depiction and existential anxiety.

2. Novelistic Expression of Ethics and Historical Responsibility

• Ōe’s attention to postwar Japanese historical trauma, social morality, and individual responsibility expanded the ethical and socio-critical horizons of Japanese novels.
• Later Japanese novelists, when dealing with postwar trauma, political events, or social injustice, often show traces of Ōe’s ethical frameworks and philosophical thinking.

3. Innovation in Narrative Structure and Psychological Time

• Ōe’s fragmented, non-linear narration and handling of psychological time provided a new paradigm of narrative structure for contemporary Japanese literature.
• This technique allows novels to simultaneously present the objectivity of events and the subjectivity of psychological experience, influencing many novels focused on introspection and social observation.

4. Deepening of Rhetoric and Symbolic Techniques

• The use of symbolic imagery, ellipsis, and philosophical language elevated the artistic and philosophical expression of contemporary Japanese novels.
• In later works, the continuation of Ōe’s aesthetics can be observed in natural imagery, symbolic techniques, and the use of ellipsis.

5. Literary Paradigm of Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Ōe’s novels put forward the moral view that “the individual is responsible for family, society, and history,” establishing an important reference paradigm for ethical exploration in contemporary Japanese literature.
• Writers not only tell stories, but also attend to moral choices and social reflection, giving novels a deeper philosophical and ethical significance.

III. Conclusion

The aesthetic characteristics of Ōe Kenzaburō’s novels can be summarized as:

• Psychological Depth: Focusing on individual existential anxiety and psychological struggle;
• Ethical Reflection: Interweaving ethical dilemmas of family, society, and history;
• Philosophical Narration: Integration of existentialism and moral philosophy;
• Narrative Innovation: Non-linear time, psychological fragments, and interwoven memories;
• Symbolic Imagery: Metaphorical presentation of nature, history, and ethics;
• Ellipsis and Concise Language: Allowing readers to participate in emotional and ethical interpretation.

These features not only establish Ōe’s central position in contemporary Japanese literature, but also influence later writers in psychological depiction, ethical exploration, historical responsibility, and narrative innovation, enabling contemporary Japanese novels to combine philosophical depth, psychological tension, and socio-critical awareness.