No Longer Human

Yozo is told early on that he will become a man that women easily fall for. Examine the role of the women in his life (Tsuneko, Shizuko, Yoshiko, the madame of the bar). How does Yozo view and treat these women? What do these relationships reveal about Yozo?

Why does Yozo play the fool around others? What does he hope to accomplish through this act?

Yozo’s ghost paintings come to haunt him later in life once he loses them. What is the significance of these paintings? What do they represent for Yozo?

Takeichi is Yozo’s first friend. How does this impact Yozo? What does Yozo hope to achieve by befriending a supposedly unintelligent boy, and what does this say about Yozo’s view of humanity?

Sexual assault plays a pivotal role several times in the story. Examine these instances. What do they reveal about Yozo’s character and his view of humanity?

Yozo thinks that he has been cursed with “a pack of ten misfortunes” that symbolize the unlucky events in his life (25). However, he does not expand on this idea. What events in his life can be interpreted as these misfortunes? Why?

Examine the joint symbol of the ox and the horsefly that Yozo uses in the first notebook. How does this relate to his view of humanity?

Yozo’s friendship with Horiki is destructive and one-sided. Each time Horiki enters Yozo’s life, it brings about a negative change. Why does Yozo tolerate Horiki? What, if anything, does he get out of their friendship?