preview

How Nikki Is Important to The Woman in the Dunes

Decent Essays

How Nikki is important to the novel The Woman in the Dunes

The novel Woman in the Dunes, written by Kobo Abe the protagonist Nikki Jumpei is a key figure in developing the three main themes, alienation, impotency, and submission. Nikki Jempei is used to develop the theme of alienation because he experiences alienation and he also alienates others. Nikki’s role in shaping the theme of impotency is important because without Nikki there would be no way of weaving the theme into the novel. Another theme that Nikki is crucial in developing is the theme of submission. His role in shaping these themes are what makes the novel complete. Nikki does not fit in with the social norms of society. He is not a popular individual at his workplace and he does not seem to have many friends. He is put into a situation that shows how alienated he is from the world. Because he is already alienated emotionally from society when Kobo Abe puts Nikki into a situation where he becomes both emotionally and physically alienated from the world. He is put into a situation where he is being isolated from any other environment other than the sand dunes. In the sand dunes he is in a worn down house that is covered in sand and there is literally no way for him to interact with anyone but the woman. Nikki cannot accept the life that she leads and his attitude towards her is quite sharp. During his captivity he cannot stop thinking about his now former life. Although we know that Nikki is

Get Access