I think that in this particular novel, the cultural and historical context are used to understand the “whats”(what Ogai Mori is trying to communicate), but what specifically provides the linkage between the context and the text for the readers to grapple with the ideas implied in this novel is the representation of Japanese culture from Ogai Mori’s perspective; By depicting a certain animals or figures with implied cultural representation/contexts, we can see the way he views the Japan’s acceptance of western culture and the drastic transformation it went through during the Meiji period.