A Personal Matter is more than an appropriate title for Oe's grim novel. It is fascinating to read through Oe's long descriptive phrases full of metaphors and imagery that keep the reader intently focused on the text. The writing style suits quite perfectly the depressing and self-deprecating nature of the story, as we watch the protagonist Bird attempt to deal with feelings of shame, inadequacy, and self-loathing after the defected birth of his ill son. If there is anyone who is caught within a permanent cycle of shallow pleasures and suffering, it is Bird. We see this in the man from the beginning. His perverse thoughts torment him as they reoccur, and most of them have the potential to easily shock the reader. Thoughts within the very opening of the novel include lying naked next to a transvestite or finding pleasure in fighting teenagers. The pleasures Bird pursues with Himiko also cause him to fall back into his perpetual cycle of pain. Although she often provides a wise perspective for Bird to take in, his relationship with her is a dishonest and immature one. Together, they both live for pleasure without the conscious consideration of what is going on around them. There is no sense of responsibility. There is no sense of discipline. And worse of all, there is no sense of sympathy for others. Much like his dream of travelling to Africa, Himiko and Bird's relationship is one that is purely an embodiment of Bird's need to run away. Bird is an insecure character who gives importance to many of the `shameful' things he does. Yet it seems that his understanding of their reason for being wrong is off. He becomes anxious due to his perverse thoughts or the pleasurable experience of sex, yet he lacks the reasoning behind why they may be considered wrong. The character of Bird through most of the story could have used Buddhism to arrive at the end. The practice of being able to detach from the world, to realize that what we experience on our daily lives is quite vain, would have done him very well. In this context, Bird's character is fascinating.
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