"Rashomon" is one of Natsume Soseki's representative works, addressing the historical backdrop and social contradictions of Japan. Set against the early 20th-century Japanese society, the novel explores societal changes and individual hardships of the era. Highly acclaimed within Natsume Soseki's body of work, "Rashomon" is regarded as a masterpiece of modern Japanese literature.
Introduction
I read the novel Rashomon, which depicts the reality of human beings who snatch and steal from each other to survive, without hesitation to commit vile deeds, in the face of instinct. It is a Japanese novel set in the Heian period, and although the title was unfamiliar to me, I picked up the book on the recommendation of a friend. Despite its short length, it made me deeply contemplate the duality of human nature.
The author, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, was born in Tokyo in 1892, and his mother suffered from mental illness when Ryunosuke was young. Consequently, he harbored a lifelong fear of mental illness. Renowned as a literary prodigy from a young age and excelling in his studies, he embarked on the path of a writer during his university years. He predominantly wrote short stories and received high literary acclaim for many of his works. Rashomon, this work, is one of Ryunosuke's early works, first published in 1915.
Main Characters
The protagonist of this work is a man referred to as the servant, and he is not given a separate name. He encounters an old woman at Rashomon Gate. These two are the main characters of the story. As it is a short story, there are no complex character relationships involving multiple characters.
Plot
In the Heian period, Kyoto, the capital, is also plagued by epidemic and famine, causing people to die in droves. Unable to properly dispose of the bodies, people end up throwing them anywhere, even to the attic of Rashomon Gate on the outskirts of the city.
On a rainy evening, under the deserted roof of Rashomon Gate, a man with a drawn sword seeks shelter from the rain. He is a servant who has been dismissed by his employer due to the famine, worrying about his livelihood. Faced with the bleak prospect of starving to death or resorting to theft, he cannot bring himself to steal. Knowing that he has no means of survival unless he becomes a thief, he reluctantly climbs up to the attic to seek refuge from the rain.
However, someone is already there. An old woman was plucking out strands of hair among the piled-up corpses. Astonished and partly enraged, the servant brandishes his sword and asks what she is doing. The startled old woman explains that she was trying to make wigs from the hair of the corpses to sell, as she believes it's not a bad deed if it's necessary for her survival. Hearing her words, the servant firmly resolves that taking the clothes from the old woman is not a bad deed either, as he would starve to death otherwise, and he takes her clothes and disappears.
Reflection
Is the old woman who plucks hair from corpses a bad person? Or is the servant who steals from that bad person also bad? Then, who is responsible for leaving the corpses like that? Whose responsibility is the famine that has caused people to die like this? This work made me think about what attitude humans should adopt in the vicious cycle of evil that may have started from anywhere.
In fact, just by looking at the plot, one can catch everything this work wants to convey. The old woman doesn't have any sense of guilt about making wigs from the hair of corpses because she thinks it's for her survival. Furthermore, she reveals that she used to sell dried snakes and fish pretending that they were dried fish, and since the servant never criticized her actions, she assumes that the woman wouldn't criticize her either.
However, using the same logic, the servant takes away the old woman's belongings, which could be considered her only possessions. This part allowed me to think about the duality of human nature. The servant refuses to become a thief even if it means starving to death, yet he does exactly that. Meanwhile, the old woman justifies her actions by saying that as long as it's necessary for her survival, it's okay. It seems to suggest that the propensity to snatch and steal from one another is a common attribute of all humans.
Furthermore, one can contemplate the frail morality of humans. The servant finds himself suddenly dismissed from his job with no immediate recourse. Particularly in the dismal situation exacerbated by the rain, the servant, though miserable, still believes he cannot resort to wrongdoing like theft. Despite his destitute state, he maintains a sense of morality and conscience. This moral stance is also evident in his outrage upon witnessing the old woman's actions.
However, his morality quickly dissipates upon hearing the old woman's words. In an instant, he abandons his resolve to nobly starve and succumbs to robbery. The author seems to be suggesting how feeble human determination can be, easily rationalizing actions according to circumstances.
Final Thoughts
Although short, this novel contained many thought-provoking ideas. It demonstrates how vulnerable humans can be in the face of instinct. Additionally, the unique Japanese sensibility was evident throughout the work. Interestingly, there is a movie with the same title, Rashomon, which is a masterpiece directed by Akira Kurosawa and has garnered global acclaim, becoming one of the finest films in Japanese cinema history. Since Ryuunosuke's other short stories are also reputed, I should take this opportunity to read them one by one.