Theme Of Light And Darkness In Kokoro

In the novel Kokoro, Soseki delves into the distinction of relationships that come into play in the lives of three specific characters, Sensei, K, and the narrator. Despite a despairing English translation from Japanese, Soseki clearly portrays these three characters story through the use of symbolism. In the novel, Natsume Soseki impels the reader to inquire the hardships with which Sensei, K, and the narrator faced. In this novel, Soseki uses the motif of light and darkness to illustrate the duality of human nature along the lines of contrasting between expectation and disappointment. Soseki initiates the motif of light and darkness through the solid relationship between the narrator and Sensei. When Soseki cites the narrator on page 9,

Soseki generally uses references to the theme of the expectation of sharing time and space to highlight how a number individuals in differing situation dealt with dilemmas, which represented the darkness in their lives. These two men are the closest thing to having a mentor and mentee bond also as an older brother but this is slightly strained by Sensei’s reserve. Sensei was not very fond of sharing any past experiences that have impacted him in his past, since they truly struck him negatively. Thus, it is not only pertaining to his reserve that hinders their friendship, it is the fact that the men feel there are two sides to a person rather than bonding together to work towards a common goal. In order to see this contrast between the expectation of sharing time and space, Soseki again uses the light and darkness motif when the narrator, says, “I have come to doubt everybody… I did not want to doubt you.” (p 53). Through the use of light and darkness, Soseki deliberates the intricate role of human