The School of Meat

Yukio Mishima The Meat School

The school we are talking about is that of the ferocity and selfishness of desire and feelings. The senses deceive and make us discover sides of character that we never imagined.

The Japan described is the post-war one that begins to open up to the West and Taeko, the protagonist, lives poised between the two worlds; divorced, is economically independent and sexually free, moves lightly between various relationships but careful not to exceed the limits that traditionalist society imposes, maintaining appearances and good name.

This bright and quiet life begins to show its cracks when in a gay bar it is attracted to a bartender, Senkichi. Its beauty but also its ambiguous air attracts it and it is so much that they wish to have it all to itself.

Ambiguous Senkichi really is, he is fascinated by beautiful Taeko, but he is attracted more by the money and the good life that she can offer him.

The result, under the surface of feelings, is a game of power and revenge.

Mishima tells us about the illusions and expectations that we create around people, a mirror of ourselves that pushes us directly to disillusionment.

Explicit sex should not be searched for in the book, as in all of Mishima's work lies in words, images and situations.

It's like an undercoat current.

A.S. review