Confessions Of A Mask Analysis

Confessions of A Mask: An Analysis on Kochan’s love for Omi
In Confessions of A Mask, author Yukio Mishima depicts the life of Kochan and his struggles of being a homosexual male in Japan in the mid-20th century. Kochan is constantly attempting to fit into his surrounding society and be accepted by his peers. However what is normal to him is seen as abnormal for members of Japanese society at the time. For example, Kochan acknowledging his attraction to males is normal to him, but homosexuality is considered a taboo according to society. Kochan puts on several “masks” throughout this novel in order to fit into society. Eventually Kochan meets Omi at his school and finds it hard for him to keep up with his “mask”. The brief moments Kochan spends with Omi eventually come back to haunt him later on during his life as he struggles to figure out his true sexuality.
In the following scene Mishima, shows us how Omi helps Kochan figure out his sexual orientation. The boys in Kochan’s School play a game in which they grab each other’s private parts for fun. This entices Kochan to think about the possibility of Omi touching his private parts. Kochan’s attraction to Omi’s physique leads to Kochan always being overprotective of his private
“Abruptly he thrust his snow-drenched leather gloves against my cheeks. I dodged. A raw carnal feeling blazed up within me, branding my cheeks. I had felt myself staring at him with crystal-clear eyes….From that time on I was in love with Omi.”(Mishima 61) This incident turns out to be an experience that Kochan will never forget. Kochan and Omi have several interactions beforehand, but it is this day that changes everything. Kochan has never felt like this before and falls in love with Omi. This is the first time Mishima clearly states that Kochan is indeed sexually attracted to men instead of just being fascinated with