An Analysis On Male Images And Causes In Ichiyō Higuchi’s Later Works

Ichiyō Higuchi is a female writer in the Meiji period.In her works,women are the lead characters.Therefore,there are a lot of studies which take female images as the main topic.However,this world is composed of men and women,not only women,men are also restrained by Japanese feudalism system.In the environment and society at that time,men became victims of feudalism system and their human nature was distorted.In China,there seems to be a lot of research on female images in Ichiyō Higuchi’s works.There are many studies of male images in Ichiyō Higuchi’s literary works in Japan.However,most studies are focus on specific figures in specific novels,which is not form a system.Therefore,in this thesis,the author selects works named 14 months of miracle created by Ichiyō Higuchi,takes Takeakurabe,Nigorie,The Thirteenth Night,Warekara and Wakaremichi as historical data,classifies the men in these works;studies the emotion and description method when Ichiyō Higuchi creates different types of men;analyzes the reasons for creation under the creation background.This thesis consists of five chapters.The first chapter introduces Ichiyō Higuchi’s historical background and individual life.Then,the author classifies the men in Takeakurabe,Nigorie,The Thirteenth Night,Warekara and Wakaremichi and into three types,analyzes each kind of male image and description method.That is,men who abandon family because of love,men who pursue profits,and men who struggle is reality.The third chapter explores the reasons for creating male images.In summary,through this research,the male figures in Ichiyō Higuchi’s works become more systematic and more distinct.Moreover,this thesis explores the social background at that time and Ichiyō Higuchi’s outlook on life,which contributes to people’s profound understanding of Ichiyō Higuchi’s literary works.