Background of Mori Ogai

Mori Ogai was born in February of 1962. He was the highest ranking doctor in Japan for ten years and was appointed to the post of surgeon general in 1907. Ogai’s father was also a doctor and he earned his medical degree from Tokyo University. He was an army surgeon serving in both the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. After serving his time in the Japanese army, he was sent to Germany in 1884 to continue his studies in medicine. This is where he developed his interest in German literature and the German way of life. As a result, some of his earliest works were translations of German written works. After some of his early translation works, he published autobiographical works of fiction based on his experiences in Germany. During the final stage of his writing career, he turned his focus onto the main topic of history. He incorporated this information into stories, novels, and biographies. In addition to these written works, Ogai also wrote some western themed plays and he supported the traditional Kabuki Theater. Outside of writing, Ogai played an important role in being a critic. Ogai died in 1922 from atrophy of the kidneys while still at work on several historical studies.

First Reaction: In Class Essay

                For my research paper I have decided to read “Under Reconstruction” by Mori Ogai. In this story, a man by the name of Watanabe reunites with an old friend in a hotel that is under reconstruction. The narrator voices Watanabe’s different remarks about the hotel and things in the environment around him. The narrator also voices the thoughts and feelings of both Watanabe and his friend, the woman in the veil. After reading this story I an able to come up with a theme, some observations and questions about this story.

            In “Under Reconstruction,” the characters make repetitive comments about something that is being rebuilt. Early in the story, we are made well aware of the current state of the hotel; it is under reconstruction. When the main characters are speaking of the woman’s travels, Watanabe states that Japan is also under reconstruction. I also believe that there is one last thing under reconstruction, the relationship between Watanabe and the woman he is meeting. Once these observations were made, I was able to develop a theme for this story. In life, one may face a situation of conflict or uncertainty where the only solution is to start over and build from the bottom up.

            As I read the story multiple times, I was able to make many observations about the context and the structure of the text. Ogai uses the hotel to highlight some traditions of Asia and compare them to the western traditions. When Watanabe enters the hotel, he notices that he needs to wipe his shoes instead of taking them off. Inside the hotel there was Buddhist text framed over the door. Watanabe is a character that has many thoughts and feelings, but he is not the type of man who voices them. The German is very verbal and speaks quite often. She shows more emotion than Watanabe, but not in its entirety.

            I believe that the hotel in the story plays a large role in portraying the author’s message. Not only does the author use imagery purposes, but he uses it to emphasize some key concepts of Asian traditions. I believe the largest role that the hotel plays is along the line of symbolism. It can be understood that the hotel is made to represent the relationship of the main characters. It is used to point out that their relationship is being worked on, but it still has some working parts. In the dialogue between the characters, they seem to be catching up with each other, almost like they are starting over. Although some tension in the conversation can be detected, the main characters are still able to be friendly to each other. In the hotel, there is a mix between western and Asian culture cultures. This is also common between the woman and Watanabe; she is from Germany and he is from Japan.

            Resulting from the observations I have made, many questions arose. By noticing the slight tension between the characters, I wondered what their history is and what happened between them before their meeting? As I wondered this, I considered the question, what if this was written in the point of view of the woman or Watanabe? I believe that if this story were written in a different point of view, we would be able to learn more about the relationship and feelings of the main characters.

            The story ends with the woman in the veil leaving the hotel. It is stated that the veil is over her face indicating that she is still hiding her feelings and the truth about herself. Overall I enjoyed reading this story, the history of the context, and the various questions that develop after reading this text.