The Impact of Literature on Life

Mizumura argues in her novel that a person’s satisfaction in life can be negatively impacted by unrealistic views of life presented in literature. Mitsuki’s grandmother is an extreme example of this because she patterned her life after the serial novel The Golden Demon, because she wrongly believed it was written about her. Mitsuki draws a comparison between a content elderly couple and her dissatisfied mother, believing the difference in levels of contentment is the result of wanting a life that is unrealistic. Mitsuki herself is an example of a character who is not caught up in fantasy portrayed in novels. She lives her life in a realistic manner and discovers that she is happy with her ordinary life.

The novel adds nuance to this theme by acknowledging that literature does still have the power to motivate positive thought and...