We’re All Mad Here

The short novel “Kappa” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa utilizes satire in order to contrast Japan with a world of fantastic creatures who live strikingly similar to human society. Written during the Taisho period of Japan, Kappa capitalizes on the burgeoning liberal climate to comment on the corruption of certain aspects of the political atmosphere. Despite the political tone, “Kappa” provides a mouthpiece for Akutagawa to voice his personal feelings of existential anxiety.

The novel strings together Patient No. 23’s anecdotal experience in Kappaland, after an Alice-In-Wonderland-esque fall down a dark hole. Each chapter serves as to highlight the different pillars of the Kappa culture. In some cases the anecdotes are observations of daily life experiences that are used to create accessible parodies of human experiences. Arguably the most notable of these experiences is the narrator’s observations in the process of the kappa birthing process. In Kappaland the parents ask the fetus whether or not if wishes to be born, one kappa, Bag poses this question to his unborn child to which it responds, “I do not wish to be born,. In the first place, it makes me shudder to think of all the things I shall inherit from my father -the insanity alone is bad enough”(62). While at first glance this appears to be a critical jab towards the family unit in society, the words of the unborn child take on a more personal rather than political tone when viewed as the feelings of Akutagawa, himself. In addition to Akutagawa’s anxiety over the possibility of inheriting his mother’s mental illness, he may have held concern over being passed on his father’s volatile temperament (8). This topic of receiving the undesirable traits of parents is further emphasized in a slogan seen by the narrator on a poster,

Let’s recruit our Heredity Volunteer Troop

Let all hale and hearty Kappas

Marry unsound and unhealthy Kappas

To eradicate evil heredity (63).

This idea of eradicating heredity sounds absurd since the process of passing specific genes on to their children is not something that is up to choice. However, this line could also be interpreted as collectively ending the act procreation, in a commentary on the futility of existence perhaps. Alternatively, maybe Akutagawa is simply expressing his own frustrations with his lot in life and lack of free will regarding the ambiguity of his fate.

Much of Akutagawa’s novel is dedicated to social and political commentary. Many of the narrator’s experiences that are routine in Kappaland are the opposite of what you would find in human society. However these instances are few and seem often shoe-horned to enhance the feeling of absurdity, or parody. For example, the chapter on female Kappas pursuing male Kappas (70) seemed to have little to no social implications. Rather the intent may have been to simply create a comical scenario by turning the tables on relational normalcy. Another instance of this can be seen when the narrator confronts the Kappa who previously stole his pen, after which he discovers no crime has been committed and in fact the act of indicting Kappas for crimes is seen as serious as the act would seem to be (107). Without belaboring the point Akutagawa uses Lap the student to comment directly on this use of inversion that treads close to the fourth wall, “Everything seemed so terribly gloomy that I thought I’d have a go at looking at the world the other way up. But it turns out to be just the same, after all”(100). In his consideration, Lap not only summarizes the thoughts of the reader, but quite possibly the words are the crestfallen musings of an author resigned to his fate. If this is truly the case then the zenith of the book’s discourse lies in the chapter on Mag’s writings. In this section Akutagawa presents his philosophical thesis. The line “The fool always believes that everyone but himself is a fool.”(101) pokes fun at the narrator who, by the end of the book, thinks that everyone but himself is mad. Yet the crux of writings seems to fall upon the last section in which Mag asserts “If we live our lives by reason, then as a matter of course, we would negate our own existence”(103). If interpreted as ‘life is without reason’, or ‘there is no reason for existence’ this conclusion paints a grim image of life that contributes to the uneasiness of uncertainty.

After an era of intellectual renaissance and increasing governmental scrutiny Akutagawa’s novel enters the fray with biting surreal satire. In between the caricatures of Japanese society and bizarre cultural norms found in “Kappa” are moments of sincere thoughts and feelings held by the author. Besides the political and social pantomime are proclamations of a man with a distaste for the world he found himself in. In his own words, “Kappa was born out of my disgust with many things, especially myself”(40). On the surface, “Kappa” looks to turn Japanese culture on its head, yet in doing so it reveals the personal troubles of a man burdened with a curse. Perhaps in essence the novel was a way for Akutagawa to peer into the life madness he was so anxious to avoid, only to find its embrace just as distasteful.

Works Cited

Akutagawa, R., & Shiojiri, S. (1970). Ryunosuke Akutagawas Kappa. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.