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Marx's JudgmentAuthor: Yokomitsu Riichi
| Original Title | マルクスの審判 |
|---|---|
| Author | 横光 利一 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a dimly lit courtroom, a railroad crossing guard stands trial after a drunken libertine dies during a confrontation at his post. The guard—a solitary figure haunted by the deaths of three wives—claims the incident was accidental, but the magistrate dissects his psyche, probing for hidden motives. Was it negligence, class resentment, or a twisted sense of control over the red-light district’s threshold? The guard’s terse answers reveal a life eroded by routine and loneliness, his existence tethered to enforcing rules that isolate him further. Meanwhile, the judge battles his own shadows: Marx’s theories on class struggle seep into his reasoning, warping suspicion into ideological warfare. As interrogations blur truth and manipulation, both men confront their vulnerabilities—one shackled by poverty and grief, the other by privilege and paranoia. A confession spills forth, drenched in anguish, but certainty remains elusive. In the end, guilt and innocence twist like tracks under a passing train, leaving justice suspended between compassion and dogma. What verdict can untangle a crime woven from despair and societal divides? |
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