Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo
How so, Kazu? It's a form of self-sacrifice.
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Self-sacrifice is not the point per se. What set Campanella apart in the novel is that he risked his life for someone who was a pretty nasty person, not one of his loved ones. The point of his act is the altruistic nature of it, not the sacrifice itself.
The tale of the red scorpion parallels Campanella. It's a tale about the value of living (and dieing) for the sake of others (in general, not a loved one specifically).
You see, Miyazawa wrote this novel to get over the death of his sister, whom he loved deeply. The only way for him to overcome his grief, was to see his sister's death through Christian lenses, believing there was a higher purpose to her death, that it was a form of self-sacrifice. That's why he puts so much value on altruism, the sacrifice motivated not by personal attachments, but rather by your willingness to devote yourself to others.
Note that at the end of the novel, Campanella's father gets over the death of his son surprisingly quickly, and proceeds to invite Campanella's friends to his house, for the purpose of cheer them on, even though it should be the other way around. Again, altruism.
In a sense, it's a pretty demanding novel, since most people can't be like that. We may risk our lives for our loved ones, but to put everyone else before ourselves, that's really tough.
EDIT: Incidentally, the tale of the red scorpion is also about accepting death instead of struggling against it. This too is the totally opposite to what Kanba is doing!!