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A review by dejnozkova
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think if anyone were curious about what anxiety and depression felt like, but had never experienced it, this is one of the books I would recommend. This is by far one of the most plainly honest depictions of mental illness I have seen, having carried a lot of these feelings myself. Like a couple other commenters, I would probably avoid recommending this book to anyone who is currently suffering as this book would only reinforce feelings of alienation and loneliness, and also includes potentially triggering instances of suicide attempts, sexual assault, and drug addiction. This book also has some incel-y type vibes seeing as Yozo (the narrator) has a habit of thinking that women are airheads for being so doting and emotionally honest, while at the same time revering men as somehow smarter and more deserving of respect because he fears them, and wrapping it up in this weird mixture of arrogance and self-pity. So yeah, he’s not exactly lovable, but frankly I think that’s the point; just because he’s a disaster of a human being and is depressing and almost irritating to listen to doesn’t mean he isn’t human.
The narrator interestingly positions himself from the rest of society, talking about Humans as if they are somehow separate from him, and he from them. But as someone who has since recovered from a similar mental state myself, I feel that he is just as human, and in some cases more so, with his observations about human deceit, contemplating the motivations of other people, considering his own motivations and actions, fearing that having needs or stating boundaries will make him a burden, and hiding pieces of himself to be accepted. In a way I think these are quite mundane, albeit sad, realities of the human experience.
Now why he draws this conclusion of him not being human is found in the Epilogue, so I would recommend not skipping it. And I think he makes a very good point. When he becomes institutionalized for his illness is when he feels he is No Longer Human. Not exactly because of how he views himself (although yes he does feel alienated even from childhood), but because he realizes that once he has been placed in an institution —regardless of whether or not he is released— he will forever be labeled as a “mad man” and will be treated as a reject in greater society. Which is in a way true. People who knew him recount that he was once a normal boy because he had a cheerful disposition (which we know was a show he put on to be accepted), but in his later years he is considered quite literally a waste by Flatfish because his symptoms and sufferings become more obvious.
Yozo is not human, not because he suffers, but because the people around him determine that he is a burden and therefore no longer one of them. And so I think this book is not only a glaringly painful account of what it’s like to live with mental illness, but it is also a criticism of how we as a society perceive and treat some of our most vulnerable people. How we only love those who are easy to love, and have none left for the people who truly need it. How our dishonesty about ourselves and our struggles alienates ourselves from others, and how our dishonesty also makes others feel alienated because they don’t know they aren’t alone either.
This is a sad and frustrating book, yes, but I am struck by its frankness and also by its subtly empathetic implication that we can do better by not being complacent in our own suffering and also the suffering of others.
The narrator interestingly positions himself from the rest of society, talking about Humans as if they are somehow separate from him, and he from them. But as someone who has since recovered from a similar mental state myself, I feel that he is just as human, and in some cases more so, with his observations about human deceit, contemplating the motivations of other people, considering his own motivations and actions, fearing that having needs or stating boundaries will make him a burden, and hiding pieces of himself to be accepted. In a way I think these are quite mundane, albeit sad, realities of the human experience.
Now why he draws this conclusion of him not being human is found in the Epilogue, so I would recommend not skipping it. And I think he makes a very good point. When he becomes institutionalized for his illness is when he feels he is No Longer Human. Not exactly because of how he views himself (although yes he does feel alienated even from childhood), but because he realizes that once he has been placed in an institution —regardless of whether or not he is released— he will forever be labeled as a “mad man” and will be treated as a reject in greater society. Which is in a way true. People who knew him recount that he was once a normal boy because he had a cheerful disposition (which we know was a show he put on to be accepted), but in his later years he is considered quite literally a waste by Flatfish because his symptoms and sufferings become more obvious.
Yozo is not human, not because he suffers, but because the people around him determine that he is a burden and therefore no longer one of them. And so I think this book is not only a glaringly painful account of what it’s like to live with mental illness, but it is also a criticism of how we as a society perceive and treat some of our most vulnerable people. How we only love those who are easy to love, and have none left for the people who truly need it. How our dishonesty about ourselves and our struggles alienates ourselves from others, and how our dishonesty also makes others feel alienated because they don’t know they aren’t alone either.
This is a sad and frustrating book, yes, but I am struck by its frankness and also by its subtly empathetic implication that we can do better by not being complacent in our own suffering and also the suffering of others.