Questions tagged [i-am-a-cat]
Questions about "I Am a Cat" (吾輩は猫である), a collection of episodes from the life of a cat in early 20th-century Japan, written by Natsume Sōseki. Use with the [natsume-soseki] and [japanese-literature] tags.
7
questions
2
votes
1
answer
121
views
What is the meaning of O-san having a blank face?
When the cat gets his teeth stuck in a rice cake, we see that eventually O-san has to help him:
O-san looks at the mistress as if to say, “Why not make him go on dancing?” The mistress would gladly ...
- 23.3k
4
votes
1
answer
116
views
How did the cat become well known?
In the second chapter of I Am a Cat, we see this:
SINCE New Year’s Day I have acquired a certain modest celebrity: so that, though only a cat, I am feeling quietly proud of myself. Which is not ...
- 23.3k
1
vote
0
answers
89
views
What is happening in the scene with Coldmoon and the geisha?
In chapter two of I Am a Cat, we see this scene:
As we turned at Hotan’s corner another geisha appeared. She was slim, well-shaped and her shoulders were most beautifully sloped. The way she wore ...
- 23.3k
5
votes
0
answers
83
views
What does the teacher's clothing choice say about him?
In chapter 2 of I Am a Cat we see this chunk of text:
He continues to wear his black cotton crested surcoat and, thereunder, a quilted kimono of hand-woven silk which, supposedly a keep-sake of his ...
- 23.3k
3
votes
1
answer
75
views
Why does the cat call the children 'dear little things' if they treat the cat badly?
The cat in I Am a Cat calls the children 'dear little things':
The children, dear little things, now trot off, day after day, to kindergarten: but on their return, they sing songs, bounce balls and ...
- 23.3k
11
votes
2
answers
350
views
Does this passage in "I Am a Cat" reference a real Western novel?
In Chapter 2 of the 1906 story, I Am a Cat, (full text of this and preceding chapters available here), the cat makes reference to a particular "western novel" in order to draw an analogy ...
- 71.1k
5
votes
2
answers
130
views
Why should a teacher's cat care less about human robbery?
I started reading Natsume Sōseki's I Am a Cat a week or two ago in preparation for this month's topic challenge, and I came across the following paragraph towards the end of the first chapter (whose ...
- 71.1k