The Setting Sun - Osamu Dazai

The Setting Sun is set in the aftermath of World War Two, in Japan. Kazuko is a member of an aristocratic family that has been severely impoverished by the defeat to the Americans. She and her mother lead an uneventful and solitary existence, as she puts it, of drinking tea, preparing meals and reading in the mountains. Her brother has been missing since the war having been sent to the South Pacific and although her mother has given up hope, Kazuko herself refuses to admit that they will never be reunited.

In fact, they are reunited, and for a brief time, life has returned to normal. The mother is incredibly happy. But it soon becomes clear that Naoji, the brother is dependent of drugs and alcohol. This seems to be a result of the experience of war, but even Naoji himself, claims it started before, during his university years.

Kazuko and Naoji's mother falls ill, and eventually dies, leaving the two siblings alone together. Things go from bad to worse. Naoji had always claimed that a title does not mean refinement and believes his actions are those of someone is better off dead. Accordingly, he takes his own life.

Kazuko, who has become involved with a mediocre writer and conceives a child. It is with this child that Kazuko hopes to give a renewal to her life.

The characters and story of "The Setting Sun" tell the story of the post war era in Japan. Of course it is tragic and sombre. This is not the book to cheer oneself up. However, it is certainly an interesting read. The events echo what may have happened to aristocratic families following the war. Metaphorically, one family serves well for the full scope of Japanese culture. This former empire has been literarly crushed, its culture exposed and humiliated, left to search for some kind of justification for existence. It seems apt that Kazuko's own personal renewal and redemption begins with the conception of her child as it is the case that a defeated nation is paralysed to wait for a new generation. Only through the actions of children can justification be granted to the values that define their lives.