Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
| Original Title | 転向 |
|---|---|
| Author | 和辻 哲郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | A young man’s turbulent journey of self-reckoning unfolds as he grapples with the ghosts of his past—friendships forged in reckless abandon and severed by moral awakening. Once enamored with companions who reveled in hedonism, he saw their audacity as a bold embrace of life’s chaos. Yet beneath their intoxicating freedom festered decay: hollow pursuits of pleasure, lies masquerading as sincerity, and a worldview that reduced humanity to fleeting sensations. Haunted by his complicity in their corruption, he abandons them in a blaze of self-purification, only to drown in guilt for his cruelty. Was his moral rigor another form of hypocrisy? As he dissects his contradictions—a soul torn between icy judgment and desperate longing for love—philosophical giants like Dostoevsky whisper warnings: redemption lies not in scorn but in embracing life’s messy depths. Spring arrives, fragile yet insistent, as he vows to forge a love vast enough to transcend past failures. But shadows linger—Mephisto’s laughter echoes in his critiques, threatening to unravel hard-won growth. Can one truly outrun the selves they’ve buried? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP