#he has so much to show for it
unironically it is all just whatever it’s time to go back to psychoanalyzing bsd characters and tearing apart bsd’s thematic messages again. anyway does it make anybody else feel crazy that so many of bsd’s character parallels revolve around living in the “real world” versus just living in one’s head and trying to influence the real world from there. Remember when dazai said “we are all just stray dogs trying to find our own place in the world” to atsushi and then proceeded for the next 50 chapters to absolutely refuse to accept the fact that he’s human and has a place in the world next to his friends because he’s afraid of both trusting the world (to be kind) and himself (to be human) and even though he’s trying to teach this exact same message to fyodor he can’t accept that humanity for himself which is why he’s doomed to self-isolation and a feeling of constant inadequacy. Remember that dazai’s ability is called “no longer human” because he doesn’t trust anybody else to understand him and his actions and so he only gives parts of himself to others when he tries to make their lives more “beautiful” but a complete, total understanding and willingness to trust in whoever it is that understands him is what can restore his own sense of humanity
yes! there’s actually two very plausible interpretations of dazai’s character both of which have plenty of textual evidence to support them. the first one which you have outlined where dazai is seen as a tragic figure of sorts. we have witnessed odasaku give parts of himself to others in an attempt to make their lives beautiful and complete without opening himself up to them or truly being vulnerable in their presence. since oda was the one whom dazai modelled his moral compass after leaving the mafia, he could be seen to adopt the same pattern with characters such as atsushi. in this way, he truly is doomed to a life of self-isolation and constant feelings of inadequacy because to some extent, the darkness can never meaningfully be escaped.
alternatively, and this is the interpretation i tend to adopt quite transparently as much as i enjoy both of them, there is a hopeful reading of his character too. one that i believe fits into the broader theme of redemption present throughout bsd quite comfortably. as you stated really well, dazai is afraid of trusting the world (to be kind) and himself (to be human). however, he has witnessed kindness in the world through odasaku and expressed vulnerability in the presence of odasaku, the only human being who truly understood him. in other words, he knows the world has the potential to be kind and he knows he himself has the capacity to display humanity and be treated as a human being.
oda played an impactful yet devastatingly short-lived role in dazai’s life. it’s only natural for dazai to stumble upon entering the world of the light that was introduced to him after oda’s death. it’s only natural for him to model himself based on the only source of kindness the world had granted him. it’s also only natural for doubt to overshadow his belief in oda’s words, to repeat them without acknowledging that they hold true for himself. this is why the connection you pointed out between dazai and fyodor becomes especially important. when dazai is showing fyodor the truth of oda’s words, that human beings (those who are disqualified such as himself included) are deserving of light, he is also reinforcing their truth to himself by extension. he is also convincing himself there is still a place for people like him on the side that protects people rather than pains them.
put differently, when dazai is sharing the last gift he received from oda, the message that everybody has a place in the world of the light regardless of their sinful past, he is doing so not just to save the world or ability users or even fyodor but also in the hope that he can save himself.
