The Silent Cry (1967) Revisited through Affect Theory

Abstract

The 1994 Nobel laureate Ōe Kenzaburō, (1935–) is well-known for his moral commitment as a writer to remind us of the dark legacy of WWII and the Japanese role in it by critically reexamining history. Representative of work in this regard, The Silent Cry (Man’en gan’nen no futtobôru 1967) introduces multiple perspectives on the past both diachronically and synchronically to challenge the normative perception of history. This article attempts to close-read the novel through the lens of affect theory by tracing the trajectories of affect that propel the narrative machinery forward and investigate how they influence the perception of history on the part of the characters. In contradistinction to more self-conscious emotions, affect often catches us unawares and gets us unhinged. Rereading the novel with focus on the affective unconscious among the characters, I hope to bring into relief their partiality, vulnerability, and limited self-knowledge, which according to Judith Butler, should be seen as a sign of our ‘sociality’, that which connects us rather than divides us. This may in turn guide us toward new Butlerian ethics ‘based on our shared’, ‘partial blindness about ourselves’, that is less judgmental and more generous.