Title: A Shameful Life/No Longer Human

Author: Osamu Dazai

Genre: Semi-Autobiographical

A Shameful Life/No Longer Human is a novel which tells the story of a troubled
man incapable of revealing his true self to others, and who, instead, maintains a
facade of hollow jocularity, later turning to a life of alcoholism and drug abuse
before his final disappearance The Novel is also about the Author's life and event
that happen in the novel is about his life. The setting of the novel is the Pre- WWII
during the early 20th century
Oba Yozo is the main protagonist in this novel. He appears as a complicated
man with a lot of problems in his life. His problems grows to be even more complex
when he enters adulthood. He becomes skeptical to other people and drown himself
in alcohol which later only increases his pain, both mentally and economically.

The Novel is about Oba Yōzō's attempts to reconcile himself from the world
around him. It begin at his early childhood in his hometown, High School where he
became the "Class Clown" to mask his alienation. And miserable life begin when he
became an adult.Throughout the story, Yozo mostly uses the reflective pronoun
“jibun,” instead of the more casual “ore” or “boku” —making the narrative
somewhat more thought-provoking for the readers. It’s as if we’re invited to Yozo’s
mind and think along with him, pondering the same thoughts he does.
The message of the book is what is like to be completely detached and
alienated from the society.Oba Yōzō, the protagonist feels fundamentally at odds
with people around him. finding everything about humanities unnatural and
impossible to comprehend .
Many believed Yozo to be an avatar of Dazai himself, and No Longer Human
to be Dazai’s will; seeing the myriad parallels between the two. Eventually, Dazai
even took his own life after the book’s last chapter was published, mirroring Yozo’s
descent into despair.
I do recommend this novel to those People at the same age at mine.To say the least.
It’s the kind of book that peels into the deepest layer of your psyche, and forces you
to confront the side of yourself you don’t want to see. It was uncomfortable, but
that’s how all meaningful transformations happen.