Despite presenting a rather absurd, comical situation, The Nose delves insights into the irony and nature of the human mind. Through the behavior of the afflicted and those around him, Akutagawa weaves an incisive and humorous social commentary about vanity, conformity, individualism, and the sinister portion of human nature.
The defining feature of Zenchi Naigu was his nose, the abnormal, massive lump of flesh dangling down his chin. A constant hindrance, his enormous proboscis resulted in simple, everyday tasks becoming burdensome for the Naigu. Even the mindless procedure of consuming food required extensive preparation and setup, enlisting the help of a disciple wielding a two-foot-long wooden slat to prop up his nose so that the priest could eat. Nevertheless, despite the physical difficulties the nose presented, the mental afflictions of the nose were even more harmful to the Naigu. On full display at all times, the nose thrust the priest into a constant state of anxiety, fretting over others commenting. Behind his back, several people make snide comments about his nose, gossiping that because of this ornament, he became a priest because no one would want to marry him. The Naigu tries to fix his belittled self-esteem, researching all sorts of methods to shorten his nose for several years. In addition, he is also obsessively observant of the visitors of the shrine, scouring the crowd of people to find someone with the same nose as him. In his search to find someone with the same ailment so that he could feel better about his own nose, the Naigu did not see faces or priests but just noses. Unsatisfied with the fruitlessness of these endeavors, he scours historical and religious documents for any figures with the same condition as him. It is evident that the Naigu prioritizes fixing his nose and the problems brought along with it more than his actual position as a priest. Instead of reciting sutras, he gazes intently in a mirror, an especially ironic act due to priests supposedly living a life of humbleness devoid of vanity.
The Naigu's fervent desire to "fix" his massive nose relates to the human desire to conform and not draw unwanted attention to oneself. Every society has a set of defined norms or rules which it enforces onto its members, who now bear the responsibility of seeming "normal," lest they face ostracization or bullying. However, noses like Naigu's are bizarre and abnormal cases; almost everyone has a nose that does not fall below their lower lip. Consequently, his radical nose, completely violating such unsaid tenets, brings him to the center of attention and, often, ridicule. Tired of being the clown at whom everyone in society can laugh or comment, Naigu obsessively covets a typical nose to be just like the others. However, when he finally achieves his dream, obtaining a normal nose through a rather grueling and grotesque ritual, the Naigu finds that he attracts more unwanted attention and ridicule from everyone else instead. His act of conforming signifies his weakness and insecurity about his nose, something a predatory world is quick to jump on. Before, the Naigu could remain stoic about his proboscis, treating it matter of factly, and no one would care too much. However, adhering to societal standards has not helped him at all. Instead, by insecurely refusing to accept his original nose, the Naigu causes his life to become all the more miserable by shortening it. As a result, he lashes out and becomes violent to those who laugh at his change, resulting in a monk saying, "The Naigu will be punished for treating us so harshly instead of teaching us Buddha's Law" (Akutagawa 5). By choosing to conform and admit his insecurity, Naigu faces further repercussions--the ridicule of his peers, more self-consciousness, and further distractions from his duties.
Initially, the generally unfavorable reception of the Naigu's newfound shortened nose strikes out as absurd, given Akutagawa's detailed portrayal of the priest's hardships and sufferings with the original, long nose. The text suggests two primary explanations of such phenomena; the primary lends to his conformation as his submission to his insecurities and vanity. As the Naigu, a high-ranking Buddhist monk, Zenchi Naigu should not even have these kinds of vain thoughts pertaining to his nose. By shortening his nose, he openly displays his violation of Buddhist values in front of everyone. Furthermore, Akutagawa suggests an even more sinister cause: humans cruelly react to change, especially to those who have crawled out of their misery. He writes, "The human heart harbors two conflicting sentiments. Everyone of course sympathizes with people who suffer misfortunes. Yet when those people manage to overcome their misfortunes, we feel a certain disappointment. We may even feel (to overstate the case somewhat) a desire to plunge them back into those misfortunes. And before we know it, we come (if only passively) to harbor some degree of hostility toward them." Caught in the center for decades, the Naigu and his nose and suffering became a constant to most people. Due to sympathy and politeness, no one commented or made fun of the Naigu's nose when it was initially massive. However, the sudden change, his alleviation from his nose, may have disappointed those around him, who feel a certain degree of resentment or threat at his newfound fortune. After a stormy night, the Naigu is reunited with his long nose and effectively "plunged back in his misery." Such an event "satiates" those around him, who would no longer torment him again. Furthermore, the Naigu himself seems joyful about this occurrence, as he had effectively embraced his individuality.
While spanning only six pages, "The Nose" delivers a witty, penetrating critique of society. Akutagawa explores the dangers of conforming, vanity, and the nature of other humans through the pores of the Naigu's massive nose. While the characters belong in a presumably medieval setting, the Naigu's obsessive vanity and desire to conform are equally applicable today as it was back then.
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