Short Fiction · Chapter
The Nose explained
Zenchi Naigu, a Buddhist priest with an unusually long nose, suffers from deep self-consciousness and wounded pride.
What happens
Zenchi Naigu, a Buddhist priest with an unusually long nose, suffers from deep self-consciousness and wounded pride. He tries various methods to shorten it, eventually succeeding with a disciple's help. However, his relief is short-lived as he finds that others now laugh at him even more, revealing the contradictory nature of human sympathy and egoism. In the end, his nose returns to its original length overnight, and he feels a sense of relief, believing that no one will laugh at him now.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Identity and Vanity
Zenchi Naigu's obsession with his nose reflects his deep-seated vanity and the injury to his self-respect, driving his actions and reactions.
Social Hypocrisy
The laughter of the other priests and laymen, and the Naigu's own perception of their hostility, exposes the hypocrisy in human sympathy and the egoism that underlies it.
Characters to notice
- Zenchi Naigu
The protagonist, a priest tormented by his long nose, whose attempts to shorten it lead to unexpected social consequences.
Key passages
“In the human heart there are two feelings mutually contradictory. Of course there is no one who does not sympathize at the misfortune of another. But if that other somehow manages to escape from that misfortune, then he who has sympathized somehow feels unsatisfied.”
People naturally feel sympathy for others' misfortunes, but when the sufferer overcomes their trouble, the sympathizer feels a sense of dissatisfaction and even hostility.
This passage highlights the theme of social hypocrisy and the contradictory nature of human emotions.
“Since I shortened it against nature, it may have got diseased.”
The Naigu worries that his unnatural shortening of the nose might have caused an illness.
This reflects the Naigu's anxiety and the theme of self-identity and vanity.