True earnestness in life is a rare thing. Kierkegaard writes in “At a Gravesite” that one must be earnest about death, because “death in earnest gives life force as nothing else does”. (Kierkegaard 83) Watanabe-San, the lead character in the film Ikiru, found himself with a short time to live after years of not doing anything significant. The situation of this “insignificant man” is also described in “At a Gravesite” as a regular man dies without being anyone important. (Kierkegaard 71) Watanabe sets out to find meaning in his life before it is too late. He finds earnestness in death and paves the way for his co-workers to do the same in their everyday lives. While Watanabe ultimately succeeds, his co-workers do not. Watanabe-San, a widowed
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She demands that he tells her what is wrong with him, and he finally gives in. Watanabe realizes that this girl is the key to figuring out what he must do. After a brief confrontation, the girl admits that she is happy with her life, because she makes toys for children and feels as though she is “playing with all the babies in Japan” (Ikiru) Watanabe realizes at that instant what he must do and returns to work. Watanabe returns to his job the next day. He decides to spearhead the project to turn the cesspool into a playground for children. This matches Kierkegaard’s thought that when death comes he wants to have a task at hand that truly matters (Kierkegaard 84) Watanabe finally found the task he must accomplish before he dies and succeeds! At Watanabe’s wake, all of his coworkers become drunk and emotional over his death. According to Kierkegaard, when he states that “to think of oneself as dead is earnestness; to be a witness to the death of another is mood” (Kierkegaard 75), meaning that the coworkers were now in a mood without realizing it. They all argue whether or not he built the park and finally decide that not only did he build the park, but that he lived his life the best. They all vow to follow in his lead to make the civil service industry better and more productive. However, the next scene shows all workers carrying on without a single change. Why is this? Kierkegaard would say these men were in a mood when the pledge was made; therefore, their given word was not
She demands that he tells her what is wrong with him, and he finally gives in. Watanabe realizes that this girl is the key to figuring out what he must do. After a brief confrontation, the girl admits that she is happy with her life, because she makes toys for children and feels as though she is “playing with all the babies in Japan” (Ikiru) Watanabe realizes at that instant what he must do and returns to work. Watanabe returns to his job the next day. He decides to spearhead the project to turn the cesspool into a playground for children. This matches Kierkegaard’s thought that when death comes he wants to have a task at hand that truly matters (Kierkegaard 84) Watanabe finally found the task he must accomplish before he dies and succeeds! At Watanabe’s wake, all of his coworkers become drunk and emotional over his death. According to Kierkegaard, when he states that “to think of oneself as dead is earnestness; to be a witness to the death of another is mood” (Kierkegaard 75), meaning that the coworkers were now in a mood without realizing it. They all argue whether or not he built the park and finally decide that not only did he build the park, but that he lived his life the best. They all vow to follow in his lead to make the civil service industry better and more productive. However, the next scene shows all workers carrying on without a single change. Why is this? Kierkegaard would say these men were in a mood when the pledge was made; therefore, their given word was not