Existentialism In Abe Kobo's 'Woman In The Dunes'

This theme of isolation is one that shows up in a myriad of books, movies,

As being the hero who survived the tragic incident, he feels hopeless and empty. Having the sense of alienation from people around him, the existence

The theme of selfishness for survival is significant throughout the book, with prisoners turning a blind

Throughout his experience in the civil war of Sierra Leone, Beah was alone. He emphasizes intensity in silence to communicate a feeling of abandonment and a lack of mental, physical, and emotional support. Students must think critically to completely interpret the author’s literal and metaphorical use of imagery. Likewise, Beah spends a large portion of his struggle in the African Jungle.

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Kobo (Kimifusa) Abe is a well-known Japanese author. Abe’s book The Face of Another won the Yomiuri Literature Prize in 1960 (Zolbrod). His work first began to receive international attention during his travel to Eastern Europe (Price, Magill’s). His writing was influenced by his childhood and culture which is prevalent in his novels The Face of Another and Woman in the Dunes.

Life is a very precious thing to have. Every person begins his or her life new, innocent, and curious. As people grow up, they gain a lot of experiences and knowledge, which may or may not be useful to them when they reach early adulthood and start living in the “real world.” Whether it be good or bad, these experiences help tell the story, more specifically the life, of an individual. At one point in every person’s life, there comes a time for reminiscence of these experiences, but why do we have these experiences in the first place?

Folk and fairy tales have been an important aspect in cultures from all corners of the world. Not only do they provide entertainment but they also give insight into how values and morals differ or resemble one another despite differences in distance and time. Advisory tales of how satiating curiosity can be consequential are found in different and unalike cultures from across continents and different time periods. Although they all tell the same moral, the stories vary greatly from one another. The 17th century Bluebeard is infamous for its violence and gore, whilst the Tsuru no Ongaeshi from Japan is a stark contrast with its peaceful setting, and the Arabian nights tale of The History of Ajib is a fantastical mix of both.

Writer, James Baldwin believed as an artist, one must pursue and attain a “state of being alone” to find one’s way. (Baldwin, Creative America, p. 1) Like Baldwin, aloneness was a “silence” that painter Beauford Delaney described and which he found in light, a spiritual as well as atmospheric light. Each man needed this “light,” this “silence,” and this “aloneness,” as Baldwin said, to “illuminate [the] darkness;” to delve into their individual creative spaces, explore their shared cultural backgrounds, and embrace their trans-global identities. After James Baldwin moved to Paris he invited Delaney to join him. After arriving in France, Delaney took a train to Normandy.

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In the novel, Achebe uses religion and insecurities to display that Nwoye, and other people, can solve their inner conflicts through a change in culture and identity.

The Sky Spierir left leaving the Shawnee villagers puzzled with what to do next. The chief of the village brought everyone together and said that someone must come forth and go to retrieve the totem. But no one would step forward, for the journey to the top of the east mountains was a rigorous one. Finally, a young mane by the name of Kiwaan stepped forward saying that he will take on this task and bring it back. He prepared for his journey and then set off on an unknown path towards the top of the east moutons.

“Things Fall Apart”, a novel written by Chinua Achebe about Africa through the character Okonkwo, a man who Achebe uses to illustrate the complexity Igbo culture, contrary to what the Europeans portrayed Africa as. One main focus of the book is to counter the single story, which is the idea that an area is represented by one story, similar to a stereotype. However, differing from a stereotype a single story often completely misrepresents something, and in this case Africa. Europeans had been the only ones writing about Africa, describing all the culture as problematic for being different, rather than looking at what African culture really is. Achebe was one of the first to write about African culture for westerners to read about, making Things Fall Apart a true innovation in writing.

“The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place.” Chinua Achebe. Achebe uses many characters perspectives in the book Things Fall Apart for people to the feelings of the characters. Achebe uses many perspectives to set up scenes in the novel in order for the audience to understand the characters.

Not only did Okonkwo face the new idea of Christianity, but so did Chinua Achebe. During Achebe’s interview with The Paris Review, Achebe says “My parents were early converts to Christianity in my part of Nigeria” (Brooks). He saw the effects of the Christian religion moving through his village, something that Okonkwo couldn’t bear to live through. Religion is a major topic in the novel. Chinua Achebe uses religion to show the reader the God in the Igbo culture, their belief in reincarnation, and the colonization of Christianity.