Essay

Patriotism” (BB) one of Japan’s greatest writers of the twentieth century, Yukio Mishima. What is the subject of this story? What “happens” in it? Why? Knowing what you know about Japan in the early twentieth century, why is this story particularly revealing about the powerful issues in Japanese society at this time? Discuss Japanese expansion and militarization in this period. How does this story reveal debates about both the benefits and the tremendous costs of rapid defensive modernization? Finally, analyze the relationship between husband and wife. What does this story tell you about gender relations in this period?