Abstract: The Setting Sun, the representative work of the famous modern Japanese writer Dazai Osamu, uses the body as the medium of expression and completes the narrative text on the body dimension. The body is a core element of The Setting Sun and an important driving force of plot development. From the perspectives of body narration and the sociology of body, this paper tries to interpret the body narrative characteristics of The Setting Sun by comparing the body narrative lines of the heroine and the other three main characters, and reveals the theme of selfidentity establishment and individual spiritual reconstruction through body struggle.

Key words: The Setting Sun, body narration, sociology of body, narrative features, selfidentity