Why does one's purpose or direction in life always seem predetermined? Nowhere is there a checkpoint where it is appropriate to choose what your hopes and aspirations are and magically expect them to come true. The only plausible explanation is that this simply won't happen. Society has cast a dark shadow in the sense that there is little hope of venturing beyond one's limits. This is one of the main themes of the story "The Writer's Craft". Horikawa Yasukichi experiences this firsthand as he gets so caught up in supposed social limitations that it stops him from accomplishing anything and puts his dream of becoming a critically acclaimed author on a grinding halt. Whatever he tries to do, the only success the Navy teacher has when it comes to putting pen to paper is writing eulogies in a moment of desperation. The title incorporating it seems forever inevitable, forcing Yasukichi to act blunt, almost depressing to a certain extent. This frightening fact, along with how others perceive it, demonstrates how narrowly and harshly a simple title can cloud not only one's livelihood, but also one's will to live. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The seemingly endless list of preconceived notions regarding Yasukichi was the turning point in his behavior as it was the first of many breaking points for him. It was precisely these titles that led to myopia in painting himself in a brutally harsh light: Navy school teacher. A Navy school teacher. A simple title that seems innocuous, but put into context is a death sentence for Yasukichi. In his mind he dreamed of soaring above the clouds and emerging into the literary world. It's no surprise that that dream remained just that, a dream. A title like that is bound to stick together more than molasses on a steamy August afternoon: “True, he taught English, but that wasn't his real profession. Not in his mind, at least. He felt that his life's work was the creation of literature” (165). The key phrase in this quote is “He heard,” because at this point Yasukichi is not facing reality as he has yet to accept the limitations that society has placed on him. The question arises as to what a title really implies. In this case, Yasukichi has been given a strict title, but the real problem develops when he is consumed by that title. He lacks the ability to see beyond and accepts the daunting reality that he would have to conduct business within his limited realms. In the few opportunities he has been asked to write a piece, it has been to write praise. It seems almost ironic that the results he has achieved in a literal sense involve death and this goes hand in hand with the direction his career as an author is headed. With a different profession or credentials, Yasukichi could have had the success he had always hoped for, but his acclaimed title would not have allowed him to do so. It shows the power of a three-word headline and how it can stop him from achieving his dreams. A Navy school teacher. Some may have the will to try to escape their supposed role, but people will do everything in their power to ensure this doesn't happen. This was the case of Yasukichi who opened up to the world of criticism. He was put in an incredibly difficult situation as he was sometimes praised for his work. This gave him a false sense of hope and once he reached that level of confidence it was simply setting him up for a harder fall to the bottom. In receivinginstructions for Lieutenant Honda's eulogy, Captain Fujita concluded by saying, “Let your famous pen do the rest” (163). This is wrong for many reasons and especially because Yasukichi is in no way famous for his literary pieces. The only noteworthy thing that has come out of Yasukichi's “famous pen” is his two previous praises. By referring directly to the pen, rather than Yasukichi, he indicates that there is nothing famous that he himself actually created. At first he remains resentful because he believes he is above writing praise and should focus his attention on his short stories that come out every couple of months. With a little self-convincing, he finally manages to write the eulogy in no time. Something put together so recklessly should be the sacrifice Yasukichi made to have time to continue the creation of his latest tale. After delivering the eulogy, he is amazed that there has been such an outpouring of emotion from Lieutenant Honda's family. For once he had achieved the goal of any author, to bring out pure feelings from the audience. The idea behind this is that it would be almost impossible to fail to evoke emotion in the audience at a venue like a funeral. No half-hearted human being would ever criticize a eulogy regarding devastating circumstances. After an injection of confidence even greater than that of the Captain, Yasukichi reads a devastating review of his latest story from a highly respected critic. This is crushing news, as he realizes that even when things seem to be going well, someone will guarantee him failure: “His praise worked, his stories failed miserably: it was fun for everyone except Yasukichi himself . When would fate be kind enough to bring the curtain down on this sad comedy? (171). The quote itself perfectly describes how, no matter what Yasukichi tries to accomplish, there is always a seemingly immovable obstacle in his way. This almost serves as a final stand as Yasukichi calls upon the same fate to save him that supposedly ruined his life. As a result, failure is the only attainable status. The emotional difficulties that follow those who seek a vision will ultimately lead to some sort of death. Yasukichi experienced this in the sense that his will to continue slowly diminished. From the beginning of the text, the reader is thrown into a rather depressing scene. The thought of death is immediately brought up and Yasukichi's response is even more problematic as he simply brushes it off and is more concerned about how he is now forced to write another eulogy. As he ponders what to do, he realizes he doesn't have the inner drive to write anything meaningful and says he slips into a state of melancholy. Writing about the death of a man he barely knew is a bit of a tedious task. The mere thought of death is enough to send someone into a spiral of frenzy, but for Yasukichi it was different. He has lost the passion he once spoke of for literature. The simple distraction resulting from an unwanted task was enough to change his course as his mental state began to change. In mentioning the praise and lack of reflection that followed, the text quotes: “It contained nothing of which he needed to be ashamed. Such sensitivities had been scraped away from him long ago, like the surface of an old razor strop” (169). The thought of such a normal emotion being taken away from Yasukichi's head is scary to say the least. No good can come from simple human feelings being annihilated over time for no other reason than that, 45(2), 331-351.