Ishiguro and Ironic Distance

The meaning of the term “irony” is somewhat controversial as it has been used for a multiplicity of purposes, from representing something that has occurred unexpectedly or by coincidence, pretended ignorance in a discussion, to a statement that is the opposite of what is meant. In literature, however, the term is often applied to an interesting technique in which an author openly shows contradictions in the actions, thinking, etc. of a character to create an emotional distance between the character and the reader. The first time I was introduced to this form of literary irony was in a short satire in a high school English class. I can no longer remember the name of the author, nor the exact plot of the satire, other than that it revolved around the daily schedule of an aristocratic man, and it was iron in that it described his schedule, which involved nothing more than napping, eating, and leisure, to the minutest detail as though what he did with his day was very important. Since reading this short satire, I have always been interested in the use of language for ironic purposes as it can often portray so much more to the reader than bluntness.

While Kazuo Ishiguro uses a very different style of ironic distance in his novel, An Artist of the Floating World, than the short satire I read in high school, it is not a challenge to see that he wishes to create an emotional distance between the reader and his main character and narrator, Masuji Ono. One ironic theme that runs throughout the novel is the way in which Ono refers to himself. On the first page Ono says both that his house “occup[ies] such a commanding position on the hill” and that he is “not, nor ha[s he] ever been, a wealthy man” (pg. 7).

Another way Ishiguro establishes ironic distance for his main character is through his relationship with his daughters. His eldest daughter, Setsuko, is very formal in her speech with her father, often saying things like “forgive me,” and “please excuse me” before and after every comment she makes to him (pg. 18). Also, Ono hints through his narration that his daughters are keeping secrets from him, because they will be discussing something and then abruptly and awkwardly change subjects when he comes near (pg. 51). His younger daughter, Noriko, is also distant. The only thing she talks about with her father is her marriage negotiations or his “moping” after retirement.

Ishiguro also establishes ironic distance through Ono’s relationships with his former students. Ono’s relationship with Shintaro, one of his former students who hung around with him for awhile at Mrs. Kawakami’s bar even after the war, goes from cordial to icy when Shintaro obtains a post-war teaching position. Ono then claims that Shintaro would be happier if he accepted what he did during the war, but that perhaps the “cold reaction” he had received from Ono may have led him to “…change tack in dealing with his committee over the matter of his China crisis posters.” He even goes so far as to say that “…there has always been a cunning, underhanded side to Shintaro…” (pg. 125). Ono is similarly distant when he talks about Kuroda, another of his past students. During the war Kuroda had moved away from propaganda art, and so Ono “merely suggested to the [Cultural Committee of the Interior Department] someone come round and give Mr. Kuroda a talking to for his own good” (pg. 183). Kuroda was then arrested and sent to prison where he was tortured, and yet Ono went to his home to ask him to help with his daughter’s marriage negotiations without even offering an apology for what had happened to him during the war. Ono is portrayed as selfish and uncaring in his relationship with his students.

Ishiguro also establishes ironic distance between Ono and the reader through the very way in which Ono talks. As the narrator of his own story, his speech lacks emotion. He does not portray happiness or excitement about his daughter’s marriage negotiations, he does not show sorrow for his past actions during the war, or even for the loss of his wife and son in the war. It is clear from the way in which Ishiguro portrays his main character, Ono, with the use of ironic distance throughout the novel that he wishes to condemn Ono for his actions in the past.