WHEN: 19th Century, the Restoration period
WHERE: France
WHO: Julien Sorel, a man born into poverty
WHAT: Sentenced to death at 23 years old
WHY: Shoots his past lover to death, thinking he had been betrayed
HOW: Julien’s failed plots to gain power and love cause his downfall
Humans still tend to be controlled by power and money in the contemporary era. However, modern Japanese people have lost the nobility or heroism that Julien displays when he accepts the death penalty in exchange for true love.
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Here is another example for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:
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WHEN: The 1920’s, Post-WWI
WHERE: New York suburbs, Long Island
WHO: Mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby
WHAT: Falsely accused of a crime, shot to death
WHY: Attempts to reclaim his former lover from her current husband
HOW: After Gatsby goes to war, his lover marries a millionaire. He becomes obsessed with vindication, and dedicates his life to the acquisition of social status, wealth, and success.
Whether it be affection, power, or social status, people yearn for what they can’t have. While it is foolish to single-mindedly pursue these things, it is also, in a way, endearing. We keep searching for an innocent man like Gatsby because we know that there is no one actually like him—that he is just an illusion.
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Itsumi was glad to see that I was proactive in the discussions. “You look at things in an interesting way. How do you analyze what you read?” Itsumi asked me one day. I then showed her my logical 5W1H analyses.
“This is so you. You read with your head rather than your heart.” She laughed loudly.
I may not have a full understanding of literature, but I believe I made the right decision by joining the club. First, there are no downsides to enhancing my reading abilities. Second, I can eat Akane’s handmade sweets whenever I want. And third, I get to participate in the unique mystery stew meetings.
Itsumi Shiraishi reopened the Literature Club, which had been shut down after all of its previous members quit, when she entered high school. At that time, Mr. Hojo, our adviser, gave Itsumi the “Literature Club handbook.” The handbook has been passed down for generations and provides instructions for the book discussions, procedures for the debates, and rules for the mystery stew:
The mystery stew must take place in complete darkness.
The club president must act as the facilitator, AKA the “pot bearer.”
Items do not have to be edible, but must be sanitary.
The club president must make delicious desserts as a palate cleanser.
A member must stand in the reading corner when reading aloud.
Members must eat as they listen to the readings.
I was initially appalled trying to imagine what kind of sick individual would think up such peculiar rules, but once I actually joined in on one, I found the meetings exhilarating. You nervously pick up a mystery item with chopsticks and bring it to your mouth. The texture feels revolting against your lips. You get an awful rush of chills when it doesn’t taste as you expected. I never thought I’d be able to focus on the members’ stories with all this going on, but I was surprised to find that I remembered them even better than stories I had read in a well-lit room. Your imagination sparks, and the stories appear to you as if on a scroll rolled out at your feet. Brain activity increases in the dark and helps you see things more vividly.
You also feel mischievous. I know it’s against the rules to say this, but I was the one who brought the strawberry rice cake, macadamia nuts, and the Chanel watch last year. The strawberry rice cake melted into the soup, boiling the meat, fish, and vegetables in a sweet goo, which made for a terrible stew. I have to say, I was snickering myself the whole time listening to the other members nearly shriek while they ate. Then, when I brought the macadamia nuts, someone yelled “There’s rocks in it!” and I sat there thinking “Fooled you!” I also chose the Chanel watch because I knew it would take everyone by surprise. When I saw how envious everyone looked when they saw what Itsumi blissfully held in her hand, I wanted to boast and say, “It was me! I brought the watch!” But I had to follow the rules and keep it a secret. I still regret not having said anything.