Ghost - “Rashomon”
Rashomon, at night, is compared to a ghost. Akutagawa observes, “Eventually it became customary to bring unclaimed corpses to this gate and abandon them. After dark it was so ghostly that no one dared approach.” The darkness at the forsaken gate induces images of ghosts due to the corpses that are disposed there. By all accounts, Rashomon is a petrifying place where a sane person would not thinking about staying there particularly at night.
“When the sky overhead turned red in the afterlight of the departed sun, they looked like so many grains of sesame flung across the gate” - “Rashomon”
The metaphor of sesame grains is a sign of the numerous crows at Roshomon. Probably, the birds are fascinated by the decomposing corpses at Roshomon.
“The rain, enveloping the Rashoømon, g gathered strength and came down with a pelting sound that could be heard far away.” - “Rashomon”
The ‘pelting sound’ signifies the intensity of the pressure in Kyoto. People are under constant worry on how to stay alive in the briskly deteriorating city.
“he would undoubtedly starve to death beside the wall or in the Sujaku gutter. He would be brought to this gate and thrown away like a stray dog” - “Rashomon”
The servant envisages the disposal of his body should he succumb to starvation. Disposing the body of a human being like that of a stray dog provides indications concerning the multidimensional degeneration of Kyoto. The city has waned to the degree that humans do to accord the dead a demure send off.
“Holding his breath and huddling cat−like in the middle of the broad stairs leading to the tower, he watched and waited.” - “Rashomon”
The servant apprehends that there could be another being in the Rashomon apart from him and this petrifies him. The cat-like curl emphasizes the repulsion that is omnipresent in the Rashomon.
“Dog’s life” - “ Yam Gruel”
Goi’s life is comparable to a dog’s because there is no individual that reverences him. All his colleagues and peers cut down his worth without regarding his demeanor.
“It was the sort of smile that a child who has done mischief gives his parent when he has nearly been found out” - “ Yam Gruel”
Toshihito beams mischievously when Goi speculates about the distance of their destination. Toshihito keeps Goi guessing as he wants to astonish him with the yam gruel that he had guaranteed him.
