Japanese Culture In The Eyes Of An American Writer

Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation is the most important and famous work of Lafcadio Hearn, who is celebrated for his themes on Japan. When he was sent to Japan as a journalist correspondent, he perceived the local culture with his Westerner's eyes, and depicted it in his works vividly by the way of realistic writing. Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation is composed of 22 essays, realistically reflecting Japanese thoughts and real life through various subjects. In this thesis, the author chooses three topics that Hearn paid most attention to. The analysis is based on the definitions and creeds of culture, especially those concluded by T. S. Eliot. Hearn's depiction is not only on the single layer of Japanese culture, but also on the comparison between Western culture and Japanese culture. Moreover, he emphasized the uniqueness of Japanese local culture.This thesis is composed of five parts.Introduction is about the author Lafcadio Hearn, his Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation, and recent researches about Hearn home and abroad.Chapter One, Chapter Two and Chapter Three are the main body of this thesis, which focus on three aspects separately: religion, education, and lifestyle. Japan is a country relying heavily on her faith of ancestor-worship. Shinto as her inborn, instead of borrowed religion, has been the religion of the nation and was made the tool of organizing the nation and her citizens. Ancestor-worship is an important creed of Shinto introduced by Hearn. Although Christianity has continuously influenced Japanese society since its introduction, ancestor-worship as the core of Japanese thoughts was unshakeable. Secondly, Japan and Western countries possess different modes of culture which could be reflected in the reverse way of education and Japanese notion of group spirit and Western conviction of individualism. Traditional customs and conducts have been rooted so profoundly in Japanese people that any trial of alternation was made in vain. An example of a samurai boy narrated by Hearn was taken as an exact example in this section. Chapter Three is concerned with the changes of Japanese lifestyle before and after industrialization. During the process of industrialization, Japan has experienced revolutions and structural changes of the society. But the essence and core characteristics of Japanese society are unshakeable.The conclusion of the thesis will sum up realistically depicted Japanese and Western culture in Hearn's book, as well as the Western impacts upon Japanese culture. The background of Hearn's writing was Meiji period. When her door was opened, Japan experienced foreign influences. Nevertheless, owing to her long-range precipitation of historical culture and her national characteristics, as Hearn sees that, the deep-rooted Japanese culture could not be changed entirely along with the foreign impacts. This viewpoint is narrated or implied in the essays of Hearn's book. Through argumentation, the author of the thesis restates and concludes that in spite of the Western cultural influence, the core characteristics of old Japan could not be totally changed.