We are introduced to young Yozo, who was raised in an unhappy family. He has a hard time making friends and is quite lonely and isolated. Yozo discovers a gift for mimicking and uses it to blend in and win the respect of his classmates.

Part 1

Yozo is now a young adult, living in Tokyo and working as a graphic designer. He starts abusing drugs and alcohol in an effort to escape the suffering and emptiness he feels on the inside. Yozo engages in a string of unhealthy relationships with women, taking advantage of them for his own amusement before dumping them when he gets bored.

Part 2

"No Longer Human" is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that explores the themes of alienation, self-loathing, addiction, and the search for meaning and connection. Through Yozo's story, Dazai offers a searing critique of Japanese society and the pressures it places on its citizens to conform and succeed. The novel is a timeless work of literature that speaks to the universal struggles of the human condition.

Overall

As Yozo's addictions and self-destructive activities catch up with him, we watch him reach his lowest point. He makes several suicide attempts, but each time someone steps in to save him. Eventually, Yozo is placed in a facility where he meets another patient by the name of Horiki. Horiki encourages Yozo to write a diary about his experiences and feelings, which he does. The diary serves as a catharsis for Yozo, allowing him to confront his inner demons and come to terms with his flaws and failures.

Part 3

No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai is a powerful novel that explores the struggles of a young man named Yozo. The book is divided into three parts, each of which highlights a different aspect of Yozo's life and personality.

No Longer Human

This novel is a timeless work of literature that speaks to the universal struggles of the human condition.

A young man describes his torment as he struggles to reconcile the diverse influences of Western culture and the traditions of his own Japanese heritage.

books

Books

The poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness.

Overall

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