Discussion Questions: OUT

1) Natsuo Kirino has said that she see this novel as being about the "proletariat." The proletariat is a term Karl Marx coined to describe the working class wage-earners in a society, those whose only significant possession is their ability to work. 

Discuss the economic and working conditions in the novel (remember, this takes place in Tokyo suburbs in the late 80s/ early 1990s). How do these issues  specifically contribute to the horrors in the novel? 

2) Discuss the ways ageism and sexism intersect in the novel, and what horrors these systemic problems create for these women. (Later on, we will also discuss how the characters use these injustices to their "advantage," as their cultural invisibility allows them to get away with their crimes).

3) How does the author make her characters more than simply horror cliches? Do you relate to them? Why or why not?

4) What does this novel teach you about Japanese society during this time period? Do you see any of the horrors in the novel paralleling any horrors in US society, particularly in the 80s/90s?

5) One of the most significant themes that slasher narratives deal with is the objectification of human beings. After all, to kill and discard of someone is to treat them as an object. In what ways does the culture in the novel objectify human beings?  

 6) What specific commentary might this novel be making about the relationship between women's domestic labor, and their workplace labor?

7) What is the relationship between capitalism, bodies, and food in OUT and American Pscyho? 

8) Masako claims that what she is doing in the novel - disposing of bodies is "just a job." How might this be a larger critique of her culture? What does this say about jobs/work in Japan during this time?

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