The Self-hatred of Kochan in Confessions of a Mask Essay -- Confession

The self-hatred of Kochan in Confessions of a Mask In his semi-autobiographical novel, Confessions of a Mask, Yukio Mishima examines the struggle for bankers acceptance by a man living outside of the socially genuine norms. A motif that strongly pervades this novel is death and the images of blood associated with it. Kochan, a Japanese adolescent living in post-war Japan, struggles with his homosexuality and his desire to be normal. In order to survive, he must hide behind a mask of propriety.At a young age, Kochan shows signs of being attracted to masculine beauty. His earliest memory is of a young night-soil man with handsome ruddy cheeks and flash eyes (8). Initially, his attraction to men is confused with a desire to be like them. Referring to the young night-soil man, Kochan remembers thinking, I take to change into him. I want to be him (9). However, as his life continues to take its course, he slowly realizes that his marvel for other men is actually love.When he firs t begins to appreciate male beauty, he develops an affinity for blood and death. This association may ...