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In A Grove Analysis

1. The document discusses testimonies from Masago, Takehiko, Tajomaru, and a woodcutter regarding Takehiko's death. 2. Masago said she could no longer live with Takehiko after being violated. Takehiko admitted stabbing himself from jealousy. Tajomaru confessed to killing Takehiko with his 23rd sword stroke. 3. The accounts contradict each other, with Masago potentially deceiving the men to escape an unhappy marriage, making her most culpable for the moral damage caused.

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Kashmir Redondo
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140 views2 pages

In A Grove Analysis

1. The document discusses testimonies from Masago, Takehiko, Tajomaru, and a woodcutter regarding Takehiko's death. 2. Masago said she could no longer live with Takehiko after being violated. Takehiko admitted stabbing himself from jealousy. Tajomaru confessed to killing Takehiko with his 23rd sword stroke. 3. The accounts contradict each other, with Masago potentially deceiving the men to escape an unhappy marriage, making her most culpable for the moral damage caused.

Uploaded by

Kashmir Redondo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Woodcutter's statement coincides with tajomaru's confession, in which woodcutter described


Takehiko's death, stating "A single sword-stroke had pierced the breast. The fallen bamboo-blades
around it were stained with bloody blossoms." that also partakes to tajomaru's confession in which he
stated that "I untied him and cross swords with me." Then after, leads to 23rd stroke that pierced
through Takehiko's breast and left him bled to death.

2.Testimonies given by Masago, Takehiko and Tajomaru clearly took part to Takehiko's death. After
Masago was violated, she mentioned that "since things have come to this pass, I cannot live with you.
I'm determined to die, ... but you must die, too.", Meanwhile, Takehiko admitted that he stabbed
himself as he agonize from jealousness. While Tajomaru on the other hand, confessed that he killed
takehiko in his 23rd stroke.

3. Woodcutter maybe a potential accomplice as he describes the scene as he found the body directly. In
addition, it is possible to think that he might be the one who pulled out the sword from Takehiko's
breast letting him bleed to death, as Takehiko describes "Someone... that someone drew the small
sword softly out of my breast in its invisible hand. At the same time once more blood flowed into my
mouth."

4. Masago did the most psychological trauma to his husband leaving them in a moral dilemma wherein
his wife uncertainly decided Takehiko's fate stating,"Now give me your life. I'll follow you right away." As
her husband struggles to speak, she concludes that he accepts her favor at a glance, stabbing him
through his breast. On the other hand, making Takehiko feel such despise leading him to suicide.

5. The Old Woman's description clearly contradicts Masago and Takehiko's identity making her a
suspicious respondent, as he described Takehiko's gentle disposition, Tajomaru affirms that he is full of
greed having him easily lured in the mountain. Also described Masago as fun-loving girl, but in
Tajomaru's account, ”she gasped out that she wanted to be the wife of whichever survived." And also
stated at Takehiko's account that she said, "Kill him! I cannot marry you as long as he lives." Pertaining
to kill her own husband.

As i recognize the story's theme was human deception, I believe that the one that has to be blamed was
the person sho is less deceived and did the most moral damage, and clearly it was Masago, since she
was the one who made Takehiko agonize in jealousy and while he was agonizing, she also said that
Tajomaru needs to kill Takehiko in order to be her wife By that being said, she deceived them to cross
swords with each other in order to keep their pride and to make leeway to escape.

On the other hand, Tajomaru was clearly the one who did the wound and admitted that he was the one
responsible to Takehiko's death. In addition, referring to Woodcutter's description of the death scene,
single stroke cut was present to Takehiko's breast then led to blood loss also it was the battle that made
the fallen bamboo blades present in the scene. While small sword stab wound was stated in another
account it was not supported by other witness as Masago and Takehiko's statement contradicts each
other. By that, the most certain evidence to conclude is to consider the setting and the evident wound
present in the body.

As for what really happened, I am certain that Masago choose to neglect her own feelings for her
husband in order to respond to the dilemma and escapew for herself making them deceived by her. And
as Thomas Hobbes claimed, Humans are inherently selfish, wherein Masago's characteristic shows in the
situation.

To arrive in those conclusion, the theme must be recognized as to know what context it takes place. And
I have then come up with Human Deception and Selfishness as its theme and as it partakes in every
account wherein each account does not fully coincide with each others' testimony. By that, I decided to
pursue for evidence and truth, that leads to justification of Takehiko's death. Evidences such as, how
Masago escaped her death in Tajomaru and Takohiko's account respectively stating "The robber
instantly snatched her, but he even failed to grasp her sleeve." , and "When he fell, I turned toward her,
lowering my bloody-stained sword, but to my great astonishment she was gone." as well as her
deceivingly favor for Takehiko stating, "Now give me your life, I'll follow you right away." But then, she
was unable to end her life and choose to live in dishonor. Also considering the setting of every account
helps to get more detailed evidence of what actually happened but then contradictory accounts made it
hard to find who the actual culprit is. Thus, made me into realizing that the one who to blame is the one
who did the most moral damage and made the selfish decision, creating them as my criteria for finding
the culprit.

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