The chaplain of a Buddhist temple, Zenchi Naigu, had an unusually large nose. He has a variety of problems in his daily life as a result of this physical trait. Zenchi is most concerned about becoming a spectacle in public. For fear of drawing attention to his large nose, the priest tries to avoid using the word “nose.” He also does everything in his power to make his nose appear small. Finally, when he is alone, the priest looks at himself in the mirror from all angles. In other words, Naigu’s focus on his nose keeps him from performing other duties related to his job, such as studying the scriptures.
Two topics are covered in "The Nose" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The first viewpoint results from the desire or need to appear normal. The main character of this short story, Zenchi Naigu, has a nose that hangs "a full six inches from above his supper lip to below his chin." He yearns for normalcy and wants a nose that is shorter than one's. Naigu has grown weary of being the subject of jokes, so he tries a variety of techniques to shorten the nose. He constantly serves as the source of laughter for other people in society, and he would give anything to stop doing so. Naigu finally gets his wish to look normal when a method to shorten the nose is finally successful at some point in the narrative. Because Akutagawas depicts the discomfort and pain that Naigu feels as a result of his big nose, the author successfully convinces the reader to feel enthusiastic for Naigu. The second viewpoint is now relevant in this situation. After Naigus' nose has shrunk, he is relieved, and he notices that his friends are laughing more often than usual. After all these years of having a large nose, he understands that the dramatic change has caused the opposite response to what he had anticipated. The source of all the laughter is Naugi now more than ever. It would appear that his "normalcy" is more taboo than his "uniqueness." Now, he longs for his big nose to return. He has discovered that having a big nose makes people laugh at him less than not having one. Once his nose has returned to his definition of "normal," he no longer feels self-conscious about it and instead chooses to embrace it. These two viewpoints support the conflict that many people experience between trying to blend in and be "normal" and trying to stand out and be "unique."
Zenchi Naigu's battle to shorten his nose is directly related to the story's main conflict. His unusually long nose and the Naigu's numerous futile attempts to shorten it are revealed to the reader throughout the course of the story. Even though he finally succeeds in getting a shorter, "normal" nose, his efforts are undermined by the continued jeers of his fellow soldiers. Zenchi's constant, obsessional attempts to shrink his nose are all motivated by his desire to blend in with the crowd; normalcy is what he ultimately wants. The central question in this book is whether a person should value their individuality or conform to societal norms. One of Akutagawa's social commentaries, "The Nose," heavily explores vanity throughout the narrative. The author selects the nose as the focal point for his visions of what it means to be a beautiful person. It is clear from the story's central conflict, which involves the protagonist's resentment toward his nose, that his ideals of beauty and conformity take precedence over his religious responsibilities and academic pursuits. Zenzhi Naigu would actually pay close attention to the attendees on days when there were events at the Ike-no-o temple, to the point where "his eyes took in neither blue robes nor white... the priestly garb he knew so well hardly existed for him." It is important to recognize the irony in his obsession with beauty, especially given that he is a well-known religious leader who is highly regarded by the general public.
Buddhist priest from the Heian period Zenchi Naigu is more focused on teaching and learning the sutras than he is on shortening his excessively long, dangling nose. In an effort to find someone with a nose similar to his, he studies religious texts while pretending to ignore them out of fear that his nose will be brought up. He constantly examines his nose in a mirror when alone, hoping for even a tiny bit of shrinkage. One autumn, a disciple reveals that he has learned a novel method for constricting the nose from a friend, a Chinese physician who has attained the rank of high priest at Kyoto's Chrakuji temple. The treatment extracts fat beads from the nose, which the disciple then removes after boiling and stomping on it. Naigu is pleased to see that his nose, which was once protruding past his chin, has grown to be the size of a typical hooked nose. Naigu begins his weekly rituals while feeling both anxious and excited. However, he is taken aback to discover that the people he meets now laugh at him much more openly than they had before. One of Naigu's disciples exclaims, "Naigu will be punished for treating us so harshly instead of teaching us Buddha's Law," as Naigu grows resentful and harsh. People continue to make fun of Naigu's vanity until one day when he wakes up, he discovers that his nose has returned to its original shape to his relief and joy.
In “The Nose,” Akutagawa examines the concepts of vanity and egoism. Because of his vanity, Naigu is only concerned with his nose. As a result of his peers realizing that Naigu’s egotism has taken precedence over his religious studies and teaching, this vanity eventually results in disfigurement and coldness from them.
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