The Symbolism of the Photographs

Traces the meaning of the three photographs of Yozo, which serve as a visual summary of his transformation from child to ghost.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The First Photograph

The Monkey Face The Ugly Smile Yozo stands in a garden, head tilted, teeth bared. The narrator sees a monkey, not a child. The smile is a grimace of fear. The Hidden Horror The clenched fists reveal that this is not a real smile. It is a performance. The photograph captures the birth of the clown. The Foreboding The image is a prophecy of the life of shame to come.

The Second Photograph

The Handsome Mask The Artificial Smile Yozo is now handsome, but the smile is a blank sheet of paper. It has no substance, no life. It is a pretense. The Lack of Humanity He looks like a dandy, but there is something strangely unpleasant. The narrator feels baffled. The Lost Soul The photograph is a symbol of Yozo's alienation: he looks human, but he is not.

The Third Photograph

The Death Mask The No Expression Yozo sits in a dirty room, hands over a heater. His face is utterly blank. It is as if he is already dead. The Forgettable Face The narrator cannot remember it. It has no individuality. It is a human body with a horse's head. The Final State This is Yozo as a reject: a ghost, a being without identity. The photograph completes the trajectory of his dehumanization.

age about ten

student days, high school or college

later, perhaps in his twenties