Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
"In a Bamboo Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa - Coggle Diagram
"In a Bamboo Grove"
by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Akutagawa’s
Style of Writing
in the Story Compared to Other Sub-Genres of Crime
The characters can be considered to be unreliable narrators, and it's difficult to tell whether they're actually telling the truth about what happened or they're just manipulating the narrative for their own interest.
There's no definitive ending nor an absolute truth. So readers reflect and create their own “truth” or ending.
The mystery of the story leaves the readers with more questions rather than answers.
The Priest’s Description of Masago
Prioritizing women's modesty over their individuality
Japanese society has long constructed women's identities within a framework of subordination
The context of Japan, wherein patriarchal values deeply influenced gender roles and societal expectations
Masago Claiming to be the Murderer of Her Own Husband
Her act of taking the blame for her husband's death, portraying herself as someone who is deeply devoted and honorable, reflects the stark gender gap: men rule, women submit.
Intertwining love, societal pressure, and a possible yearning for autonomy.
Japanese culture values honor and integrity above all else. In this case, the honor and integrity of her husband.
Kazanawa no Takehiro
’s Place in the Social Hierarchy of Feudal Japan and His Testimony
He is under their military commander and the possible emperor during his time.
A mode of self-inflicted death that occurs within a society that highly values crude morality and disregards the individual
Reducing the shame that he feels as a samurai.
Tajomaru's Character
and His Fixation on the “Twenty Thrusts”
Due to his prideful personality, his skills as a swordsman, and his values in wanting a fair fight.
To boast about his skills in being able to beat a samurai, and be remembered as someone who can beat a samurai, a highly regarded position in Japan at the time.