宮澤賢治の「烏の北斗七星」の対比と隠喩表現

Abstract

「Crows and the Big Dipper」by Miyajawa Kenji was written during the Japanese Intervention in Siberia. The literary field of that time was the period when writing was difficult because of the strict censorship and control. This study focuses on the inner world of Kenji through looking into his works during this period. Crows and the Big Dipper, personifying crows and likening a herd of them to soldiers and warships, signifies the writer’s message and is full of a variety of comparisons and metaphors. The background where flying crows controlling warships and the hero crow’s activities so naturally and impressively written that readers would not find any fault. Despite the background, this work actually depicts the world of adults through the eyes of children with pure sensibilities, beautifully depicting winter sceneries that evoke the purely sensible nature. This study analyzes「Crows and the Big Dipper」according to six steps. The six steps correspond to the introduction, the conclusion, as well as the introduction, the development of the theme, conversion, and summing up. Using comparisons and metaphors as methodology, this paper studies the connectedness between the work and its Zeitgeist, the fluctuations of the hero’s status, and the introduction and the conclusion of the work. In sum, this paper examines the message the author intended for his readers through the structure of the work and metaphors. This paper focuses on the division of the work into six parts through the coexistence with the enemy, the esthetics of self-sacrifice as a major tool of understanding the work. Through the analysis, it is realized that the work is significant in its double structure of the introduction that signifies the final message and Kishōtenketsu. Through comparisons and metaphors, the study examines the hidden frame of mind, thoughts, and sense of values of the author. This study argues that the mystery that comparisons and metaphors throughout the fairy tale produce and their literary effects result in the special literary structure.