Idle Talk: Childish Tales

The Miner | Natsume Soseki

PLOT

In The Miner, the 19-year-old protagonist decides to flee his hometown of Tokyo after his relationship falls apart. He encounters a grotesque figure who specializes in recruiting cheap labor and is persuaded to work in a copper mine. The story follows his journey towards and descent into the mine. The protagonist's perceptions and later reflections are described in great detail, such that a "split-second of visual clarity" is accorded three pages of analysis.

The protagonist does not get along with the other "animalistic" miners but eventually meets an educated individual who is, like himself, fleeing from a failed relationship. This miner convinces him to return to his former life. The novel ends with the protagonist emerging from the mine. Outside the mine, he remarks on the beauty of a flower and the ugliness of the miners. He then visits a clinic for a mandatory examination and is reminded of human mortality by the scent there. He passes the same flower and no longer finds it beautiful, nor does he find the miners ugly.

IDLE TALK

"I want to run away."

"I want to escape this situation regardless of what lies ahead."

"I'll leave right now and never look back."

Have you ever had such thoughts? It's important to have the courage to fix one's current situation. However, leaving a small world for a larger one comes with unprecedented troubles. If you want to escape as soon as you can... You should prepare by reading ​The Miner.

The Miner​ is a full-length novel by Natsume Soseki. It isn't a completely fictional tale. It's loosely based on the accounts of an actual miner. It's about a boy from a revered family trying to escape a bad romance. Nothing about it stands out when strictly looking at the setting. But Soseki's austere self-analysis and characterization... Results in thrilling descriptions. The main character is rather ignorant. He's so naive that it even made me laugh. I may have enjoyed it because he reminded me of myself.

You should read it if you haven't yet. I'm quite convinced you'll enjoy it.