Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe

¶ … Personal Matter" by Kenzaburo Oe

Fatalism and Destiny in "A Personal Matter" by Kenzaburo Oe

Differences in culture have persistently influenced the works of literature among writers across the globe. African-American writers write about the racial prejudice and injustice of discrimination in a predominantly white American society. American writers, meanwhile, center on the issue of individualism and the society's role in reinforcing or discouraging this ideology. Notably, these writers talk about their experiences reflective of the Western cultural experience, and an analysis of the works of writers from the Eastern societies and cultures reflect an altogether different sentiment about life and living.

Take as an example the work of Kenzaburo Oe entitled, "A Personal Matter." Published in 1968, Oe's novel is a personal narrative of the travails that he and his family went through during post-World War II Japan, a period wherein the country's citizens are experiencing suffering as a result of their nation's defeat in the war. Oe's narrative adopts new characters that are reflective of his family; however, the novel mainly discusses the emotional struggle and philosophical journey that Oe went through as he faces the reality that he has a mentally-handicapped son for a child. "A Personal Matter" chronicles Oe's struggle to fight for his son's life, even if the odds are against his living a longer, meaningful life.

This paper discusses an emergent theme that dominates the novel, which is the fatalistic attitude that the protagonist of the novel, Bird, assumes. Remarkably, the novel illustrates Bird's shift from being a fatalistic to being an individual in control of himself and of the course of his 'fate.' The discussion in this paper analyzes how this transition happens in "A Personal Matter," and how, through the theme of fatalism and concept of destiny, Oe's novel reflects Japanese society at a time when society is still struggling from a downfall politically and economically, to the detriment of the country's people. In effect, this paper argues that Bird's transition from being fatalistic to being a decisive individual reflects his eventual subsistence to asserting his control over his life, trusting and being himself in the midst of complexities in life that he faces.

An analysis of the final texts of the novel provides readers with an overview of Bird's realization to control his life and not leave it to fate to 'play upon.' As his family faces Bird's son's operation, he shows a change of character, from being a weak and indecisive father to his son to being a courageous individual ready to deviate from common notions and beliefs that people tend to believe in.

This change is noted by the professor, wherein he pointed out that the problem his family had faced shows how he "met" his problem "head on." Responding to her hiss remark, Bird attests (213):

As a matter of fact, I kept trying to run away. And I almost did. But it seems that reality compels you to live properly when you live in the real world. I mean, even if you intend to get yourself caught in a trap of deception, you find somewhere along the line that your only choice is to avoid it ... That's what I've found, anyway.

This passage reflects the "enlightenment" that Bird develops from his son's birth, hospitalization, and eventual operation. Though it is evident that Bird does not exactly demonstrate knowledge or wisdom about life, his candid thoughts on how life has been for him depicts his belief that life is directly and inevitably linked with fate. This connection, he realizes, must not be avoided to run away from the problem, but to avoid the problem by coming up with a solution to it. Bird evidently maintains his character and attitude despite this realization -- that is, he avoids the fate of life not by running away from it, but by looking for another way to avoid it, which is to bring himself to act not only for his sake, but most importantly, for his son.

Indeed, this realization is further developed as the novel comes to an end. Readers witness that Bird had indeed attained self-realization, and this becomes evident in the imagery that Oe utilizes to illustrate Bird's "reflection" of his self and life: "He wanted to try reflecting his face in the baby's pupils. The mirror of the baby's eyes was a deep, lucid gray and it did begin to reflect an image, but one so excessively fine that Bird couldn't confirm his new face. As soon as he got home he would take a look in the mirror" (214). It is evident that Oe uses reflection in both the figurative and literal sense, where the "fine" image reflected in Bird's son's eyes marks the clarity about the meaning and purpose that he has on this earth, where he will continuously fight for his son's life and well-being, assuming the role of both being a father and husband to his family.

These insights about Bird's transition from being fatalistic to decisive become apparent when accounts of his previous behavior and attitude about his son's health problems are analyzed. In the first chapter of the novel, it is evident that Bird is at a crossroads, experiencing internal struggle as he seeks to reconcile his want to become free and live life as a bachelor and need to become a good father and husband for his family. Oe characterizes Bird as a stubborn and happy-go-lucky individual, whose ultimate goal in life is to travel in Africa, and is currently experiencing the distress of being a "family man": "Was he being forced to say good-by, in spite of himself, to the single and final occasion of dazzling tension in his youth? And what if I am? There's not a thing in hell I can do about it!" (3). This last utterance by Bird demonstrates his fatalistic attitude in life, where he passively accepts life as fate presents it to him, an individual who believes that can do nothing to change his fate, since it is already pre-determined.