Summary
"Rashōmon," written by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, is a tale of survival and moral ambiguity. Set in twelfth-century Kyoto, it follows an unemployed servant grappling with the ethics of theft as a means to endure tumultuous times. His pivotal encounter with a thieving old woman at the Rashōmon gate ultimately shifts his perspective, illustrating a descent into moral compromise.
Setting the Scene
The story unfolds against the backdrop of Rashōmon, a dilapidated gate in twelfth-century Kyoto, symbolic of the city's decline due to a series of natural disasters. The once-grand structure now stands as a sanctuary for both wild creatures and outcasts, including thieves and those who prey upon the dead. Amidst cawing crows and neglected corpses, the atmosphere is one of decay and desperation. As dusk settles and rain pours down, an unemployed servant finds himself seeking refuge here, questioning his uncertain future.
A Servant's Dilemma
The protagonist, a dismissed servant, is confronted with a moral quandary: to survive, must he abandon his principles and turn to theft? Initially, he hesitates, clinging to the remnants of his moral code. However, as the story progresses, the oppressive environment of Rashōmon and his dire circumstances weigh heavily on him. Seeking shelter from the elements, he ascends a ladder into a loft, drawn towards a flickering light. There, he discovers an old woman engaged in a macabre task.
Encounter in the Loft
Inside the loft, the servant witnesses the old woman's grim activity: she is pulling hair from a decaying corpse to fashion wigs. At first, the servant is consumed by indignation, fueled by a sense of righteousness. He confronts her with sword in hand, blocking her escape and demanding an explanation for her actions. The woman, fearing for her life, reveals that she makes wigs from the hair, insisting that the deceased would not begrudge her this theft.
Moral Justifications
In a desperate bid to justify her deeds, the old woman argues that necessity knows no moral bounds. She recounts that the now-deceased woman had sold snakes disguised as dried fish, suggesting that survival in these harsh times required deception. Her rationale, she claims, was that without such acts, they would starve. This reasoning, she believes, would earn the forgiveness of the dead.
An Act of Desperation
The servant listens, struck by the parallel between her rationalization and his own inner conflict. Her words resonate with him, and in a twist of irony, they embolden him to embrace theft as his own means of survival. With a sudden resolve, he strips the old woman of her kimono, leaves her among the corpses, and vanishes into the darkness, choosing a path of obscurity.
Echoes in the Darkness
As the servant disappears into the night, the old woman regains her composure and painfully drags herself to the loft ladder. There, she peers into the surrounding gloom, contemplating the turn of events. The narrative leaves readers pondering the broader implications of survival and the moral compromises individuals make when faced with dire circumstances.
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