Heart of Darkness: Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro
Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro reminds us that life, sometimes, is about waiting to die.
Set at the end of the Meiji era (1868-1912), the novel follows an unnamed college student who is fascinated by a mysterious older man he calls “Sensei,” or teacher.
Sensei insists on visiting a friend’s grave by himself each week. He never hides his hatred of humanity and his sense that work is futile. His only love seems to be his wife, who remains as perplexed as the narrator about the cause of Sensei’s malaise. He was a brilliant man of letters once, but now seems content to toss off bitter asides to his young follower.
Back in the countryside, the narrator’s father is dying; in the capital, the death of Emperor Meiji marks the end of an era. Sensei, too, becomes a father of sorts to our narrator, who wishes desperately to learn from life.
But when Sensei reveals the act that destroyed his life and his faith in human possibility, is there anything left for his student to learn? Read more
