Read through Chapter 5 (or as close as you can) for next week, and as you read, think about the subtle conflict between Eastern and Western ideas in the novel. I'll post a video soon that discusses a few things you might consider and look for as well. Otherwise, I think you'll enjoy this humorous novel about a ne'er do well who becomes a teacher out in the sticks, and has utter contempt for his students and his profession. And yet, for all his pride and buffoonishness, his character and voice are irresistible.
Answer 2 of the following:
Q1: In many ways, our hero, "Botchan" is an unreliable narrator who doesn't always present things the way they truly are, even if that's the way he thinks they are. How does he share some personality traits and narrative techniques that we saw earlier with des Greiux in Manon Lescaut? How do we know that Soseki doesn't completely want us to trust Botchan?
Q2: Reflecting on his long-time servant, Kiyo, Botchan says, "She must have been absolutely crazy about me...The kind of devotion she had for me was downright scary. She was absolutely certain I was going to have a glorious career and become a wonderfully distinguished man" (8). Why does she place him on a pedestal and ignore his brother? Does he seem to encourage this behavior, or does he really bother him as he suggests?
Q3: Why does Botchan get so annoyed by the phrase "na moshi' that his students use as the end of almost every sentence? What do you think it means? Does it seem like they're being disrespectful to him? Or is he taking it the wrong way?
Q4: In Chapter 4, Botchan explains that "Whatever faults I may have, my ancestors were retainers of the Shogun, a line of warriors going back to the Emperor Seiwa and descended from the great Minamoto non Mitsunaka" (44). Why does he want us (the readers) to know this, and are other people in the book aware of this? What role does class and rank play in early 20th century Japan, according to Soseki's novel?
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