No Longer Traumatized — Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

“Already by that time I had been taught a lamentable thing by the maids and menservants; I was being corrupted. I now think that to perpetrate such a thing on a small child is the ugliest, vilest, cruelest crime a human being can commit.” ― Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human

Most scholars and internet users interpret this excerpt as Yozo's internalization and grappling with sexual abuse during infancy. But lately I've thought about it differently. I now interpret this passage as Yozo blaming his housekeepers for introducing him to the world of social norms, conducts, and contradictions. I understand both perspectives carry deeply structural connotations like the bifurcation of a highway. Both roads driving you through distinctly separate, evocative landscapes.^[1] But I find this interpretation to be more meaningful both for the context presented in the book, and everyday use.

Supporting this view are the facts that the text mentions both male and female servants and that all of Dazai's work is permeated with a fear of human society and general communication. I read the original Japanese version of this text to discard any nuances or stylisms that might have gotten lost in the English version to support my take. I found none. The English is pretty close to the original.

My focal point was the translation of the verb "taught",

which stays the same in both versions. The archaic language of the original makes it hard to decide if it serves a literal or metaphoric use. Whatever the case, it's these sorts of details—the undecided ones, those that tend to spark debates, analysis, and confusion—that give art (with such a wide array of interpretations) its meaning.