Yearning for Youth and Vitality: A Plastic Surgeon's View of "The House of the Sleeping Beauties" by Yasunari Kawabata

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze "The House of the Sleeping Beauties" ((sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)) by Yasunari Kawabata from the perspectives of plastic surgery, and psychiatry/psychology. The central theme of the novel focuses on aging, desire, and the human connection to beauty and mortality. The protagonist, Eguchi, frequents a brothel where elderly men lie next to young women who are drugged and remain unconscious. This setting highlights the longing for youth and vitality, themes that are prevalent in plastic surgery. From this perspective, the novel offers a somber reflection on the extremes to which individuals might go in an effort to reconnect with their youth, even if it is only symbolic or temporary. Eguchi's journey serves as a metaphor for aging individuals who turn to beauty treatments or cosmetic enhancements in an attempt to regain their lost youth. Unlike the temporary illusion of rejuvenation provided by plastic surgery or anti-aging treatments, the novel highlights the futility and inherent sadness of attempting to recapture what is irretrievably lost. From a psychiatric perspective, the novel may be seen as an exploration of escapism, sexual repression, or unresolved trauma. The setting, characterized by the objectification and infantilization of women, could represent a dissociative mechanism. In this scenario, elderly men project their fantasies and desires onto unconscious women, thereby sidestepping the harsh realities of aging, intimacy, and rejection. In the anti-aging surgery of male patients, it is crucial to recognize their longing for youth and vitality, a sentiment shared by both Kawabata and Eguchi.