In the following review I will explain the meaning of “1-nichi Go ni Shinu Gorilla” with my own understanding and show you how it’s a portrayal of escapism.
“1-nichi Go ni Shinu Gorilla” has a huge range of interpretation. I´ve read about people discussing whether it’s a philosophical work about the nature of life or just a silly little story about a gorilla.
We all know that it´s more than just a lil story about a “dying” gorilla. It´s a profound allegory about life and even offers a different perspective on escapism
(well, at least if you want it to)

Let’s start :)

Page 1:

“What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?”
With a single page and only 12 words Ishida confronts us with questions you could spend years thinking about.
“What makes life worth living?”
“Is death a good, an evil or neither?”
“Is it reasonable to fear death?”
“How should I behave towards death?”
The gorilla symbolises man in an existential crisis. He raises a wide variety of philosophical questions but doesn’t answer them. It just sort of throws them at you and let you think about it.
It might just be one page, but it leaves the reader with a bitter taste about life and allows them to think at length about death.
Existentialists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus emphasised the importance of personal confrontation with one's own existence and mortality.

Page 2:

On the first page you are confronted with existential, absurd, stoic and humanistic questions. But as soon as you open the second page, the gorilla is dead. These questions no longer matter to him, but they do even more to the reader. The gorilla may be gone, but the life-changing questions remain. They leave a deep impression, an unpleasant feeling that stays with you and lets the story live on in your head.

Then you turn to the next page and the entire story changes again.

Escapism

There is an alternative ending to the story. With this ending, the story can be interpreted completely different. It’s the showcase of an individual struggling to escape from reality.
Let me explain:
On the first page you see the gorilla, who is happy despite the knowledge of his imminent death. On the second page, he is dead. The alternative ending shows the gorilla alive, but with a depressed expression on his face.
The gorilla escapes reality with the thought of his death. This represents a paradoxical form of escapism, as death is usually seen as the ultimate end, not a refuge.
But to what extent can the confrontation with death be understood as a form of escapism?
What role does the thought of one's own mortality play in the search for meaning and significance in life?
For Søren Kierkegaard the confrontation with death is a source of fear and a chance of self-discovery.
Martin Heidegger sees the conscious confrontation with death as an opportunity to live authentically.
The gorilla represents these considerations and stands for the escape from life through the thought of death.
Contemplating death can be seen as a form of escapism when it serves to distract oneself from everyday challenges, worries and responsibilities. This escape into existential, philosophical or spiritual reflections offers a way to escape the reality of life by focussing on deeper, but often less tangible questions. While some philosophers such as Kierkegaard and Heidegger see this engagement as an opportunity for self-discovery and authentic living, they also recognise the potential for escapism in this profound reflection.

Thanks for reading :)