ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the psychosomatic effects of Bubble money on patriarchal conventions. With individuals enjoying rapidly increasing assets, extramarital affairs became commonplace, though they often endangered the conventions of wedlock and family life. Murakami Ryū’s novel Tennis Boy’s Spleen (1985) depicts the pitfalls and risks men used to face. From the male protagonist’s perspective, the narrative reveals pleasure and affliction stemming from wealth. The chapter argues that the Bubble money provided men with an escape from heavy social responsibilities as a business owner, husband, and father. The ironic consequence was that the man becomes the victim of his labor and wealth.
