Known for her stories about adolescents struggling towards adulthood, Higuchi Ichiyō creates a small world full of contrasting young characters in one of her famous works, “Child’s Play”. Also known as “Takekurabe”, which translates to “growing up”, the children of the story cross the line that separates child from adult during a period of individualism and edification. Although “Child’s Play” embraces the purity of the coming-of-age theme, it adds darker elements in order to show the realistic sides to growing up. Despite how the Meiji restoration period provides chances to practice self-interests, society forces upon the children certain roles that it expects them to partake in without letting them decide their fates. As the children age,
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Living alone with only his grandmother as his guardian, one would expect him to be much more independent. He is, however, no exception to following a pre-determined route in life. As a pawnbroker’s son, he is expected to inherit the shop once he reaches the age he is capable of doing so. Although an adolescent, Shōta frequents walks with his grandmother to collect interest and rent in order to better prepare him for the impending financial prospects. As a result of all the grown-up work imposed on him, Shōta often describes what he pictures himself to be like as an adult man; he must don “a topcoat with square-cut shoulders” just like the shopkeeper at Kabata’s, smoke cigarettes, and substitute clogs for leather sandals (p. 278). From these descriptions, it appears Shōta has observed the adults during the course of his lifetime to configure his idea of what grown-up men should be like. This again shows that much of what the children learn is heavily influenced by the adults who run their lives, and shows us how they are very naïve. By rooting their belief in adults, they are only able to construct images out of adults while they expose their own lack of self-individuality and sensibility. In addition to appearances, Shōta comes to believe that men are not allowed to express signs of weakness; when going through photos of his parents, he admits to occasionally breaking down in tears but is quick to shame himself because it is obvious that “a boy looks pretty silly when he cries” (p. 267). Society has imprinted in the minds of the children that men must be strong-minded and unable to draw tears or else they would be named “sissies”, which is considered to be quite
Living alone with only his grandmother as his guardian, one would expect him to be much more independent. He is, however, no exception to following a pre-determined route in life. As a pawnbroker’s son, he is expected to inherit the shop once he reaches the age he is capable of doing so. Although an adolescent, Shōta frequents walks with his grandmother to collect interest and rent in order to better prepare him for the impending financial prospects. As a result of all the grown-up work imposed on him, Shōta often describes what he pictures himself to be like as an adult man; he must don “a topcoat with square-cut shoulders” just like the shopkeeper at Kabata’s, smoke cigarettes, and substitute clogs for leather sandals (p. 278). From these descriptions, it appears Shōta has observed the adults during the course of his lifetime to configure his idea of what grown-up men should be like. This again shows that much of what the children learn is heavily influenced by the adults who run their lives, and shows us how they are very naïve. By rooting their belief in adults, they are only able to construct images out of adults while they expose their own lack of self-individuality and sensibility. In addition to appearances, Shōta comes to believe that men are not allowed to express signs of weakness; when going through photos of his parents, he admits to occasionally breaking down in tears but is quick to shame himself because it is obvious that “a boy looks pretty silly when he cries” (p. 267). Society has imprinted in the minds of the children that men must be strong-minded and unable to draw tears or else they would be named “sissies”, which is considered to be quite