The Semiology of Callousness as Illustrated on Yukio Mishima’s The Swaddling Clothes

Literature reflects symbols of meanings in human beings’ life. The meanings are so psychological that closely related to deeds of characters as studied by semiology by Ernst Cassirer. The Swaddling Clothes is a short story by Yukio Mishima written in 1955. It tells about a wife who imagines the future of an illegitimate newly born baby wrapped in newspaper full of blood stains as swaddling cloth. Her husband is also callous by stating that the situation is hilarious, while she keeps in mind otherwise. She seems to overthink the baby, but actually that situation indicates disparity of society. Then, how is callousness illustrated on Yukio Mishima’s The Swaddling Clothes? Through qualitative method on cultural studies, this writing explains callousness is not only psychological deed, but also reflection of condition of society. By accentuating Cassirer’s theory on semiology, ignorance depicts superiority of own values by deteriorating otherness. Modernization brings in different situation to Japan as asserted by Mishima. Poverty is widespread and the rich evades mutual relations with other class. While there are privileged babies with high moral standard, there are undernourished babies who have to struggle to live by embracing violence. In conclusion, the story shows callousness as matter of social clash rather than merely denial of everyday anxiety. That ignorance is degradation of moral shaped by modernization that removes appreciation to other people.