Perhaps the most shocking aspect of Vita Sexualis is its lack of sexuality. Ostensibly a record of burgeoning sexuality, written by a father
to his son, so that his son would be better prepared for his own maturation, the main character is almost completely asexual, unable to understand the
rampant behavior of his friends and contemporaries. He openly admits that he has never experienced the desires that seem to drive everyone around
him. Women and men make themselves available to him, but he is defiant in his moral purity and never indulges.
They say that Vita Sexualis is a sexual philosophy in which it does not describe sexuality as something vulgar, but in fact, it is wrapped in a serious and
intelligent way of writing. The readers will find the novel as a soft description of sexual life in Meiji era.
2.3 Theoretical Framework
This study analyzes the motivation of Shizuka Kanai, the main character of Mori’s Vita Sexualis, for sustaining his normal sexual life under the pressure of
his surroundings. Based on the theory of critical approaches by Rohrberger and Woods, the psychological approach is used to help in analyzing the main character
of the story. This part is going to describe the contribution of the theories to support
and answer the problems. The theory of character and characterization are needed to know who Shizuka Kanai is. The theory of character is important to explain
about what is meant by character. It helps to reveal Shizuka Kanai’s character which also deals with some characters in the novel and to see the novel’s world
through the characters’ eyes. The theory of characterization is employed to discover the characterization of the characters. In the first problem, the analysis is
dealing with the motivation of Shizuka Kanai. Therefore, the theory of motivation PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
and the theory of hierarchy of needs are applied. The theory of motivation gives information about what motivation is and helps to reveal the motive behind
Shizuka Kanai’s actions and decisions. The theory of hierarchy of needs provides information about Shizuka Kanai’s needs in the relation with his motivation. The
psychological approach is used to observe what really influence Shizuka Kanai’s life and decisions.
The second problem is about how the action of Shizuka Kanai affects his achievement in life. The theory of sexuality and the theory of goals in life are
utilized. The theory of sexuality is used to give information about some characters’ sexual life and orientations, including Shizuka Kanai. The theory of
goals in life is applied to know what is meant by goals and the effect of Shizuka Kanai’s action to it.
