工場 (2013)

The Factory (Japanese: 工場, Hepburn: Kōjō) is a proletarian novella written by Japanese author Hiroko Oyamada. Originally written and published in Japan in 2013 by Shinchosha Publishing Co., the book was translated into English by David Boyd and published in 2019 by New Directions Publishing Corporation. The uniquely structured novella switches between the perspectives of three characters as they begin jobs at a joint living and working facility known as "the factory."

Setting

The Factory is set in an unidentified Japanese city. Although the factory is mainly a place of work, employees also live on the grounds surrounding it. The compound is self-sufficient and so large that it could be its own city. It is said to have everything except a graveyard. The factory's compound includes: living quarters, a temple with a priest, museums, restaurants, grocery stores, travel agencies, barbers, post offices, and more. The factory's setting is mysterious. There is a randomly placed bridge over a body of water. The animals in the compound, including Factory Shags, Washer Lizards, and Grayback Coypus, act very differently from normal animals. The people are strange as well, including a disheveled character named the "Forest Pantser" who lives in the dense, maze-like forest surrounding the factory where he pulls people's pants down.

Plot

The Factory follows three new employees as they begin their new lives. The timeline, somewhat indefinite, appears to take place over a fifteen year span.

The story begins with Yoshiko Ushiyama being interviewed by Goto for a job at the factory. She graduated school with a liberal arts degree and a special interest in research on Japanese communication. She feels undeserving of working in such an important place as the factory. She recalls the impression the astounding factory had on her when she visited as a child. It seemed all powerful and like the perfect place to work. At the end of her interview, she is offered a contract position in the Print Services division. She spends full workdays shredding papers. Occasionally, she eats lunch with her work friends or her brother and his girlfriend. Yoshiko's portion of the story ends when she begins questioning her entire life's purpose before becoming a part of the factory herself.

The second perspective is that of Yoshio Furufue. Before he is recruited by the factory to work as a moss specialist, he was a university student. When he attends what he believes to be an interview for the job with Goto, he is told that his university has already coordinated his job and that the purpose of meeting is to start planning. He is given complete control over his project (green-roofing) with no deadlines. He learns that his "department" is just him. Furufue is then told that he will be required to work from a two-story home on the premises, where one story will serve as his lab space. This comes as a surprise to Furufue, who was not told he would be forced to move and live at the factory. To start his work, the factory creates a "moss hunt" that children and parents can sign up for and participate in. After the moss hunt, Hikaru Samukawa and his grandfather approach Furufue at home to present the research they had conducted on the animals that live in the factory. While Furufue is out on a walk studying the mysterious shags, he almost accidentally photographs Yoshiko Ushiyama. Furufue apologizes for the misunderstanding, invites her to lunch, and as they eat together, they briefly compare experiences at the factory. Furufue comes to the realization that he has had no lasting impact on the factory and that his job has been completed without him. His last scene hints at his growing resemblance to the focus of his research.

The final perspective is that of Yoshiko Ushiyama's unnamed brother. He has just landed a temporary proofreading job in the Document Division after being fired from his old job. His previous work experience is in systems engineering. This job is a demotion for him; he sits at a desk all day proofreading nonsensical documents until he falls asleep. He tries to be grateful for his job, but he misses working with computers and feels like he is wasted potential. He spends his time trying his hardest to stay awake with food, coffee, and candy to no avail. He spends his free time with his girlfriend, whom his sister Yoshiko strongly dislikes. His story ends with him waking up and questioning his purpose, exactly how his story begins.

Characters

Main characters

Yoshiko Ushiyama regularly changes occupations until she lands a job within the factory shredding paper for seven-and-a-half hours a day. She spends most of her time wondering what her purpose at the factory actually is.

Yoshio Furufue is an academic who was recruited by the factory from his university to work on the grounds as a moss expert. He shows doubt in his ability to perform the vague tasks asked of him because he is just a student researcher, not a professional bryologist. In the novel, he goes from being a researcher to a corporate scientist. He is given complete freedom over his project with no deadlines and has unlimited resources. He is paid the most out of the three main characters and his status is also the highest in terms of job position in the factory.

Yoshiko Ushiyama's Unnamed Brother is essentially a proofreader who uses a certain set of codes and symbols to go through a large variety of papers and writings. His job is described as easy enough for a middle-schooler to do and impossible to mess up. It is gossiped that he only gained the job because of his girlfriend's status in relation to the factory.

Goto is the factory's middle manager and a part of the Print Services Branch Office. He conducts interviews and serves as the go-to person for Yoshiko Ushiyama, Yoshio Furufue, and Yoshiko's brother when they seek advice and instruction.

Secondary characters

Kasumi

Itsumi-san

The Giant

The Captain

Hanzake

Irinoi

Glasses

Yoshiko Ushiyama's Brother's Girlfriend

Hikaru Samukawa

Hikaru Samukawa's Grandfather

Forest Pantser