Interpretation of "In a Grove"

An interview with Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Statement of Intent

This assignment will accentuate the important elements in Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s, “In a Grove” by discussing it through an interview of what Akutagawa was trying to depict in his work. The first time I heard of the title of this story, “In a Grove,” I thought that it would signify the location, which the story was set, but after I read the story a few times I realized that the title actually stood for much more than that. The title symbolized how society tends to behave, which is much like a grove, all together and acting alike. When one person tends to do something in a particular way and others see that this method benefits that person, then people begin to follow. This is what Akutagawa sees in society, their psychological “modeling” tendency and also that the human psyche prioritizes self-image over honesty. The testimonies of each of the individuals who either witnessed or took part in the murder were all...