Dissident body: the representation of old age in Ojiichan, by Oscar Nakasato

Abstract

In a society that measures human value by utility, the elderly body is rendered invisible. Under a patriarchal bias, elderly women are discarded due to the supposed loss of “femininity”, while old men are sidelined as soon as they cease to be seen as economic drivers or symbols of power, ironically becoming hostages to the logic of productivity that they themselves helped to institutionalize. The literary field, featuring elderly protagonists, is not immune to this, representing precisely the various layers of exclusion that segregate the elderly. Based on this, this article aims to investigate the approaches and procedures adopted in the contemporary fictional narrative of Ojiichan, a novel by Oscar Nakasato, regarding the theme of old age, examining how Satoshi, the novel’s protagonist, embraces or subverts stereotypes related to senescence. This study presents a bibliographical-interpretative methodology, mobilizing an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, articulating literary contributions (Secco, 1994; Berry and Skagen, 2020), philosophical contributions (Améry, 1994; Bobbio, 1997; Cícero, 2021), and contributions from age studies (Beauvoir, 2024; Bosi, 2023). From the analysis undertaken, it is observed that the aging process of the main character is structured in dynamics of acceptance, resistance, frustration, and reinvention. This reveals the complexity of the literary representation of old age, while also highlighting the problematization of the place given to the elderly in Nakasato’s novel.