Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
| Original Title | その頃の生活 |
|---|---|
| Author | 中原 中也 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | A restless adolescent’s summer unravels in a claustrophobic household where time stagnates under his father’s iron grip. Days blur into a suffocating cycle of meals and confinement, punctuated by futile attempts to negotiate freedom—visits to the library, travel—all dismissed as frivolous. The father, a man hardened by past struggles and professional disappointments, enforces isolation with bitter pronouncements about their “lower-class” neighborhood, forbidding even casual friendships. The mother frets neurotically, grandmothers snipe, and siblings mirror the household’s tense fragility. Amidst this, the protagonist’s restless mind churns: he scribbles poetry, mocks bourgeois pretensions, and fantasizes about artistic triumph, yet remains achingly aware of his own sentimentality. Flashbacks to a freer childhood—snakes in Hiroshima gardens, desperate chases after departing rickshaws—hint at a soul straining against invisible chains. As arguments over grades and ambition escalate, the boy’s simmering defiance clashes with fleeting guilt over his family’s quiet despair. Will he break free, or succumb to the weight of inherited expectations? A haunting portrait of adolescence where every stifled breath whispers rebellion. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP