The
illustrations in Good- Bye do not represent World War II but it does
represent the feelings and reactions of the Japanese citizens through personal
dilemmas. The main characters of each
short story all felt the desire to want something more because of the life they
had settled for. They also attempt to “better” their life but do not succeed in
the way they had hoped or thought they would but simply embrace the life they
live. Symbolizing the struggle the
Japanese faced within themselves after World War II. A sense of lost as a country and as an
individual attempting to reconnect their mind, body and soul as one again. As seen in the Rash with the man struggling to
control his manhood. He is aware of the disconnect between mind and body and is learning to control the
rash that is invading his body and succeeds but is aware that he now has to learn how to control his manhood, questioning his identity. The rash is a reference to the
radiation after the bombing and him learning to control his manhood is the Japanese citizens attempting to deal with the aftermath of the bombing.
Hey Ariel, I like your point that the illustrations in Good-Bye represent the atmosphere and feeling within Japan after WWII through the personal dilemmas of Japanese citizens. Tatsumi is mindful in that he evokes the melancholy of the time period without explicitly including character's that fought in the war. His nuanced approach may more deeply appeal to readers because he doesn't knock them over the head with the point he's trying to make, but delivers a nationwide sense of loss more subtly. He establishes a collective sense of disconnection before reconstruction of the nation has started, but simultaneously, a sense of individualism as characters give into their desires and settle for lives they ultimately feel guilty about.
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