明治時代の拝金主義の台頭と義理についての考察 -尾崎紅葉の『三人妻』と『金色夜叉』を中心に-

Abstract

In this study two serial stories were analyzed and interpreted so as to find out for the human mind-set about the raising the mammonism in modern Japan. This study compared the two text, 『three wives』 with 『konjiki-yaksha』 by Ojaki Koyo, which were published as serial stories during the time before and after economic development of Japan. The key-word is the money worship and the subject was viewed about the way in which each character and the money power are described. In the 『three wives』, the character of the businessman was described, which was not used as the material for writing a novel till then. Katsragi Yogoro ,who was born as the second son of a poor farmer, leaves his hometown and moves to Edo. Also this novel is setting that he accumulates a big wealth following the trend of the time and he has three wives. This shows that with the rising image of the money it is not negative to try to solve all the things by means of money. Many different possibility of money power - centripetal force, mystique, fulfillment of desire, and turn the status around etc. - is depicted, additionally faithfulness which is the value as outdated ideas about morality is used as a motivation of money worship. On the other hand, in the novel 『konjiki-yaksha』, because the subject is clear; Money or Love, the attitude against the mammonism is showed. The faithfulness or loyalty was thoughted as a value against the mammonism. Under the slogan of national prosperity and military power, the two works were appeared in the era when money power was encouraged as a natural policy. While a contradiction of the modern capitalism was emerging going through the Sino-Japanese War(of 1894~1895), Koyo faced the conflict between the old-fashioned ideas about morality and it was the result of his anguish and the change of his consciousness during the era.