27 pages • 54 minutes read
Ryūnosuke AkutagawaIn A Grove
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1922A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Swords and Mirrors
Content Warning: This section refers to sexual assault and suicide.
Weaponry appears in the story in several different contexts. Clearly a symbol of violence, blades like swords and daggers were also objects of wealth and nobility in medieval societies. When Tajomaru uses the promise of swords to lure Takehiko into the grove, it symbolizes both the greed of the elite as well as impending violence. The samurai belongs to a class of society that uses wealth and violence to rule, and he is eager to secure additional means of both.
The other treasure the bandit names explicitly is mirrors, suggesting that the characters are headed into a moment of self-reflection centered around violence and their Positions in Society. This symbolism hints at the “mirror” that the unreliable narration holds to the characters detailing the events; it is not the event itself that readers see, but the character of the people speaking.
Shame
Although most noticeable in Masago’s account, shame appears in all three main stories, as well as a few of the minor characters’ testimonies. When the traveling priest describes the beautiful woman in detail and then says in embarrassment that he doesn’t pay attention to such things, Akutagawa demonstrates the importance of Reputation and Legacy in a culture with rigid expectations of each societal position.
Masago expresses the most overt shame, mostly over actions that were no fault of her own. Though Tajomaru comes across as a smarmy braggart, bravado often covers shame—in Tajomaru’s case, likely the shame of being a peasant and committing crimes. In the end, Takehiko breaks down into tears over his shame; when he describes his suicide, he follows in the footsteps of many samurai before him. This comments on the emphasis his society places on honor and integrity. These high expectations are difficult to achieve or maintain, with devastating consequences for those who fail.
Bamboo
Buddhism is central to Akutagawa’s writing, and bamboo carries significance to Buddhists. The hollow stem of the plant symbolizes emptiness—the state of being that Buddhists strive for, unattached to the material world and its suffering. The three main characters are led into the grove by their worldly desires—lust (Tajomaru), greed (Takehiko), and fear of loss (Masago)—and the events that transpire there provide an opportunity to reflect on their inner state.
A sense of irony underpins Akutagawa’s use of bamboo, perhaps best illustrated by Tajomaru filling Takehiko’s mouth with bamboo leaves. The characters exhibit wild emotional swings and remain motivated by personal interests to the end of the story. If there is an element of Buddhism in the story, the three characters likely fail the spiritual test and remain cut off from the higher state of being.
Related Titles
By Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
