Botchan

Botchan (Master Darling) (1906), won Kinnosuke Natsume (pseudonym Natsume Soseki) wide public admiration as well as critical acclaim. Major themes in Kinnosuke's works include ordinary people fighting against economic hardship, the conflict between duty and desire, loyalty and group mentality versus freedom and individuality, personal isolation and estrangement, the rapid industrialization of Japan and its social consequences, contempt of Japan's aping of Western culture and a pessimistic view of human nature.