👘 [Japanese Week] 📖 Botchan (坊っちゃん) by Natsume Sōseki

 

The author himself is the protagonist of this autobiographical novel about a young man and his naive, almost childlike, vision of the world.

The word 'botchan' can be translated as 'young master' and, if you watched 'Downton Abbey' you probably already know that it was used by the servants when referring to the male child of the families they were working for. 

The term could either be used as a form of reverential respect or as a way to mock someone for being immature and irresponsible.

Botchan was born in Tokyo and spent his childhood creating and getting into trouble so much that he kept being scolded by his father and looked down on by his uptight older brother.

The only one who showed him love and seemed to think everything he did was right was Kiyo, the old housekeeper.

When both their parents died, the two brothers sold their house and, after splitting the proceeds, went separate ways, with Botchan enrolling in the Tokyo Academy of Physic where he graduated after three years.

Almost instantly he's offered the position of a math teacher in a middle school in Matsuyama, on the island of Shikoku. Not being sure (or caring) of what else he could do, Botchan half-heartedly accepts the offer and moves to Ehime prefecture.

There, Botchan met people who are completely different from the kind he's used to and his polemic nature will lead to a lot of misunderstanding and fights with both his fellow teachers and the students. Botchan is often very clement with his own faults but critical with the ones of the people he meets, whom he considered uncouth and ignorant, while nothing is good enough for his standards as he keeps on saying that if they were in Tokyo it would be a completely different story.

👍👎My Thoughts

Botchan firmly acts based on what he thinks is the right way of behaving and is indolent about everything and everyone in Matsuyama. Being snooty soon makes him the target of his students' sarcastic comments and pranks while also the teachers are pretty ambiguous with him.

The only one who seems to be on the same page as him is the other math teacher and they eventually end up forming an unlikely duo. 

I enjoyed this novel much more than expected because of its witty and funny writing style and all the troubles he goes through because of his stubbornness. Everything, from characters' personalities to places and landscapes, is described so well and detailed to the point it made me want to visit Matsuyama!

Natsume Soseki is rightfully named as one of the greatest Japanese novelists and his novel 'Botchan' is considered as one of those novels that must be read. It is often referred to as the Eastern answer to J. D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'.

My vote: 10/10

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