Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Teshigahara and Kobo Abe - Pitfall, The Woman in the Dunes and Face of Another

Pitfall
organized labor dispute
owner as an agent of annihilation
ghosts as helpless witness to injustice
abandoned child running to the future

Woman in the dunes
conformity to group norms and expectations
exploitation, imprisonment, forced labor
the immiseration of pointless work
someday we will buy a radio
freedom found by taking charge of your own existence and setting its terms
escape as unattainable goal

Face of another
identity and persona
anonymity,
freedom from observation

From Mishima's Golden Pavilion
"I wished that the witness of my disgrace would disappear. If only no witnesses remained, my disgrace would be eradicated from the face of the earth. Other people are all witnesses. If no other people exists, shame could never be born in the world." by Mizoguchi

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