Assertion of Self in Yasunari Kawabata's House of the Sleeping Beauties

Abstract

Yasunari Kawabata'sHouse of the Sleeping Beautiespresents the story of an existentially conscious hero Eguchi, who chooses and fixes his own way of life himself in spite of being sexually impotent at an old age. Disregarding his own condition of sexual impotence and social conventions and beliefs he keeps on continues visiting the house of the sleeping beauties secretly paying a lot. Abandoning his own wife and family life in this course, he exercises his freedom and choice of action himself ignoring all direct and indirect outer forces and listening to the call of his own inner heart. So much so, his frequent visits without the accomplishment of any goal from the secret house of the sleeping beauties reflect the qualities of the revolutionary Sisyphusian hero in him, which help him to assert his true existence.