In every civilization, there is a distinguishable contrast between the pre-modern and the modern. Sometimes, it can be as subtle as a Chinese farmer riding his bicycle through a remote village. Sometimes the difference can be astounding. In 0'ahu, the beautiful green Ko'olau Mountains and stretches of white beach on the North Shore are on the same island as the noisy crowds in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu.

Post-World War II Japan had a similar schizophrenic atmosphere. While the country plunged head on into the opportunities created by industrialization, the Japanese people became torn between the simple, traditional world of yesterday and the Western high-tech world of tomorrow. With such a promising future in modernization, the majority of the public turned toward change. As more and more neon lights went up, some Japanese grew concerned about how this transition would affect culture and tradition. Kobo Abe's "The Magic Chalk" and Sawako Ariyoshi's "The Tomoshibi," examine the effect of this change resulting from this clash of the past with the future.

In "The Magic Chalk," Abe gives a pessimistic view of modernization. He once asserted in an interview, "The new, westernized society of self can only exist by devouring the old"(Abe 315). This short story illustrates this rather Darwinian view of Japan's evolution. Abe emphasizes the "all-or-nothing" approach: If one chooses to remake society, then the society that exists must be discarded.

Abe's main character Argon, created an ultimate universe with the power of a piece of red chalk. However, coexistence between harsh reality and his fantasy world proved impossible. Argon understood that magic gave little comfort in the real world. The dirty, meager morsels from a drain pipe were more substantial than the feast drawn from the chalk. "What actually helped fill his stomach was precious and so could not be rejected. Even if its nastiness made him aware of every swallow, he must eat it. This was the real thing" (Abe 320). Magic food provided nourishment only in a magic world. Abe stressed that advantages gained from a change in Japan will only benefit today's society, not the heritage that had been vital to the country's history and culture. Thus, Japan's proud past lags behind the ever accelerating high tech present-day world which feeds off its own commercialism and superficiality.

Abe continued to establish this separation between the two worlds with the issue of Eve. Argon formed Eve from a newspaper picture of Miss Nippon, consequently introducing a remnant of his old world into the purity of the new universe. The results were catastrophic. The values that Eve brought forth did not conform to Argon's world: "Money's irrelevant, you say? I don't understand ... Don't you know that a promise is the beginning of a lie? ... I'm going to make death... We need some divisions .... .. (326-327). She also spoke of current social issue,, such as birth control and equal rights. Because ideas from the old could not meld with the new, Eve finally destroyed this ultimate reality by exposing it to the sun's rays. By bringing this to the reader's attention, Abe seems to have believed that the new Japan that Eve epitomizes has the potential of destroying the legacy of the past.

At the end of the story, Argon laments, "It isn't chalk that will remake the world..." (328). Chalk is so superficial, easily erasable, consisting of minute dust particles. Abe seemed to believe that society's whole-hearted change in attitude, a far more substantial and difficult enterprise, is necessary. Therefore, whether the remade world is modern and industrialized or simple and traditional, one must be sacrificed for the other.

"The Tomoshibi," on the other hand, displays a world where traditional and modern Japan successfully coexists. In fact, Ariyoshi seems to argue that the simple and meaningful past is needed in today's society. Unlike Abe, who believes that one world will exist at the expense of all others, Ariyoshi sees a symbiotic relationship between the different worlds. Without the warmth and security of places like the Tomoshibi, the loneliness and stresses of contemporary urban life would be too much to bear.

Ariyoshi immediately distinguishes the Tomoshibi from other establishments in the Ginza. Amid the city's noise from normal bars, coffee shops, department stores, and restaurants is the inconspicuous little bar known as the Tomoshibi. "It didn't seem likely that there would be such a bar in a place like this" (Ariyoshi 330), and in the world of "The Magic Chalk," it would certainly have been engulfed by the surrounding environment. The bar caused patrons to be "...enveloped by a warm atmosphere, and immediately feel at home" (331). The Tomoshibi was a haven that preserved the simpler times of years past. This bar was not for customers who simply desired to get drunk. Customers in the establishment would chat about trivialities, give opinions, listen to stories, and primarily enjoy the company of the barmaids.

Ariyoshi also emphasizes that the superficiality of the modern world did not penetrate into the Tomoshibi. There were many examples of this, especially when it came to the outward image and appearance. Mama san, the proprietress, hired an additional barmaid regardless of the girl's crossed eyes. It seemed that she hired only those girls with deficiencies, not a Miss Nippon who would be more evidently appealing. Even the customers understood this idiosyncrasy within the bar. For many of them, "...it was better just to listen to their [barmaid's] voices when they started to speak, rather than to look at their faces" (334). This was also evident with regards to Momoko's eye deformity which was not even noticed by the patrons in the Tomoshibi, as it was in other bars. Other imperfections existed, such as Mama san's "reproduction" paintings and mixed breed Akita. All were accepted by everyone only inside the confines of the bar, not in the cold, unappreciative world outside. The customers who entered the Tomoshibi required that break from their jobs and other hardships, not to whine and complain, but simply to escape for a moment to a warmer place.

Based on their stories, both writers preferred the old Japan over the modern, industrial world of today. They found current society impersonal and individuals isolated from one another. However, time unfortunately does not have the capability of reversing itself. The "good old days" are completely lost if you take Kobo, Abe's stance. Yet, they may be around in little bits and pieces, maintaining stability in an increasingly chaotic universe as in Sawako Ariyoshi's story.

Work Cited