Beyond The Curve Essay, Research Paper

Beyond the Curve, written by Kobo Abe sends a message to his fellow Nipponese citizens. He constructs an fable based on award, individuality, and Dante? s Hell. Abe? s pick of composing allows us to believe deeper than the obvious, and? read between the lines. ?

? Dendrocacalia? is written as an fable. It can be interpreted in relation to World War II. The chief character, Common, is representative of ordinary Nipponese citizens during the war. He is being punished for actions that he, himself, did non knowingly commit. For his penalty, Common transforms into a tree rooted in the Earth. His face slips off, his weaponries are made into foliages and subdivisions, and his legs go the bole of the tree. In this illustration, this torture is what many Nipponese endured during World War II. Many were harmed during legion bombardments and other wartime casualties. These Nipponese citizens were harmed for the actions of the province, non the single themselves. Each citizen lost portion of their award, every bit good as their personal self-respect during this unsettling clip. They were a the clemency of their authorities and were forced to confront the reverberations of governmental actions

In covering with award, the construct of self-destruction is discussed. Throughout the narrative, Common fights the transmutation into a tree on every juncture, except the last. He tries urgently to keep on to his human individuality, despite the obvious physical battles, every bit good as the personal advice and council from the Director of the Botanical Garden. He wanted to contend his? decease? at all costs. He would non allow this unaccountable power licking him, for if he died at the clemency of another force other than his ain, would be dishonourable, every bit good as sinful.

This construct of self-destruction is related to Dante? s theory of Hell. Dante? s Hell is a topographic point of fire where people go to purge their wickednesss. The evildoers that are placed in snake pit have no consciousness of their wickednesss. Common saw that there was no wickedness in snake pit, merely penalty. Upon his realisation of this, he saw that the lone account for these unusual happenings in his life were that he had antecedently committed self-destruction, without cognizing, and was now in Hell and holding to endure for his wickednesss ( 55 ) . His penalty, turning into a tree, was his requital for his wickednesss, and hence created this Inferno for him. The combustion and fire would purge his wickednesss, merely as it purged the tri

be of Zeus. Kobo Abe noted, in Beyond the Curve, ? Transformation into a works meant avoiding unhappiness, at the cost of future felicity ; redemption from wickedness meant being thrown into the thick of Sin? ( 58 ) .

The manager of the Botanical Garden is representative of a god-like character, or one with the power of opinion. He wants Common to fall in his garden. This is no ordinary garden ; it is a topographic point of protection from the outside universe and its inhuman treatments. It is symbolic of a perfect, harmonious topographic point where Common would non hold to worry about others destroying or damaging his tree. The helper to the manager acts as a loyal follower. He is like a member of society that is controlled by the authorities. The helper acts merely when the directory tells him. The manager gives him specific waies, and the helper obeys consequently.

Common a typical Nipponese adult male, who was forced to pay for wickednesss which he did non knowingly commit. This occurred to many Nipponese during World War II. They were forced to digest many hideous anguishs, every bit good as suffer familial abnormalcies caused by the dropping of atomic bombs, for actions that did non straight affect them. They did non order the bombs that were dropped on Pearl Harbor in a surprise onslaught. Yet, they were forced to cover with its consequences through the atomic bombs America dropped on them. They were non being separately punished, but punished as a whole. The people did non desire to decease merely at the custodies of the resistance, every bit long as they saw a opportunity of endurance. Common saw ground to contend for his individuality and individuality. He fought the transmutations, repeatedly. He did non desire to give in to the powers that were in control. The manager convinced Common merely to give in to the impulses and live in the Botanical Garden, free from all jobs in a practical Utopia. Finally, he gave in and decided to populate in the Botanical Garden. Once Common allowed the transmutation to happen, the manager labeled him? Dendrocacalia crepidifolia? ( 64 ) . Dendrocacalia crepidifolia is translated into a bad tree with trembling foliages. Park allowed the powers that be exceed him, but he did it with intuition and restraint.

Kobo Abe wrote this fable in order to direct a message to his fellow Nipponese citizens. He wrote it so that we, the readers, would understand the underlying significance, without stating it bluffly. He utilized many different allusions to show his message.