Previously
The librarian revives you and gives you microfilm. No more library (4 Start).
In your room, you study the more sensitive materials: how consent of the governed is central to a democracy (4A), how to assess previous regimes (4B), and what events lead to downfall (4C).
You review how people reacted to Japan’s rapid change (4D). And self-administer a Quiz.
You hear bullets and tear gas outside. And wonder what is the point of art? You open up the next spool and study Akutagawa (4E, 4F, 4G), Hagiwara (4H), and Sei Shonagon (4I).
Your boss comes to your room and invites you back to work (4 End). You worry about tomorrow.
Story
You wake up early and feel that this is your last chance to complete the materials (5 Start).
You read about life after defeat (5A). And how writers approached Occupation (5B): Oe with fortitude (5C), Mishima with aesthetic revanchism (5D), and later Murakami describing breakdown of solidarity (5E).
You return to work, are feted by Old Friends, and leave early thanks to your boss. You encounter the librarian: your belongings have been eradicated. They are coming for you. You must now trust the librarian. The librarian Quizzes you. You follow down into the sewers to the ocean. You thank to librarian, enter a getaway boat to your next mission, look at the setting sun. You are now part of pro-democracy movement. You pledge to a new tomorrow (Waves).
Skills to Hone
- 1.5.: Compare and contrast how Oe Kenzaburo, Mishima Yukio, and Murakami Haruki reacted to a democratic, capitalist Japan after World War II.
- 2.4.: Describe how Japan as a colonial power and post-Occupation continued to struggle with their interior space and external perceived threats and opportunities.