The Novella Collection of Yukio Mishima - Forbidden Colors

Author: Yukio Mishima
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The Color of Evil is divided into two parts. The first part depicts an elderly writer, Hiromichi Kashiwabara, whose first wife is a thief, his second wife is a madwoman, and his third wife is a courtesan. All his marriages end in failure, and he is betrayed by several mistresses. Thus, he believes it is due to his unattractive appearance that he is rejected by reality and by women. When he discovers that the handsome young man, Yuichi, is a sex invertor who cannot love women, he arranges for Yuichi to marry a girl named Koiko, whom he has given love to, and allows the wife he once loved, Mrs. Tsubaki, and Koko to approach Yuichi. He uses Yuichi's beauty to make the three women jealous and compete for his affection, thus retaliating against reality and the several women who betrayed him. Yuichi has no connection with women and lacks the qualification to be a "real existence." He begins his life thanks to Kashiwabara's vengeful desires. The second part depicts Yuichi's attempt to no longer rely on Kashiwabara's strength and to act according to his own will, seeking a path to build his "real existence" through his own efforts. Thus, he makes his wife Koiko pregnant and at the same time flits between the world of male love, living a dual life. Later, thanks to the betrayal of a homosexual, his mother and wife find out, and at this critical moment, he is saved by Mrs. Tsubaki. Kashiwabara's plan to revenge both reality and the women through Yuichi fails. In the end, Koko is tempted and violated by Yuichi, who replaces Kashiwabara for her. Mrs. Tsubaki witnesses her husband with Yuichi in bed and becomes, disappears without a trace, and both suffer retaliation, falling into a miserable fate. At this time, Kashiwabara confesses that he too loves Yuichi and leaves him a huge inheritance before committing suicide. However, Yuichi firmly believes that at this very moment...