“Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing.” According to director Akira Kurosawa, this is the meaning behind his film Rashomon. The film is an adaptation of the short story “In a Grove” by Ryunosuke Akutagwa, a mystery regarding the murder of the samurai Takehiko. It is told through the points of view of the people involved, including the dead samurai himself. Because three of the main characters did plead guilty to the murder, the truth remained unclear. However, the point of the story is not actually about who committed the murder, but something much deeper. There are many layers to unfold and meanings to uncover as one analyzes both pieces, and Kurosawa’s
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Bushido, the samurai code, highlights the importance of 7 virtues: integrity, respect, courage, honor, compassion, honesty, and loyalty. In his account, Takehiko included details that manifested many of these traits. For example, him wanting to pardon Tajomaru for violating his wife showed compassion. Additionally, he upheld loyalty by trying to comfort Masago with a wink – but this instance conflicted with Masago’s testimony which stated that Takehiko looked at her with hatred and cruelty. Because of the importance of honor, samurais would rather commit suicide to preserve their reputation than live in dishonor. This then justifies Takehiko’s choice to kill himself after losing to his enemy Tajomaru. With Takehiko’s apparent commitment to the virtues, one can assume that his testimony would be the most honest of the three. What makes one doubt his credibility though, is that both Masago and Tajomaru described him as someone with traits opposite of that expected of …show more content…
Although parts of the truth were expressed in each testimony, most of the details presented were exaggerated and selfish in nature. As each character tried protecting their honor, they ultimately lost it in the process by being dishonest. In our own lives, we have to be aware of this danger; it may be important to be seen in a good light, but it is more important that we never sacrifice the qualities that matter in order to gain this
Bushido, the samurai code, highlights the importance of 7 virtues: integrity, respect, courage, honor, compassion, honesty, and loyalty. In his account, Takehiko included details that manifested many of these traits. For example, him wanting to pardon Tajomaru for violating his wife showed compassion. Additionally, he upheld loyalty by trying to comfort Masago with a wink – but this instance conflicted with Masago’s testimony which stated that Takehiko looked at her with hatred and cruelty. Because of the importance of honor, samurais would rather commit suicide to preserve their reputation than live in dishonor. This then justifies Takehiko’s choice to kill himself after losing to his enemy Tajomaru. With Takehiko’s apparent commitment to the virtues, one can assume that his testimony would be the most honest of the three. What makes one doubt his credibility though, is that both Masago and Tajomaru described him as someone with traits opposite of that expected of …show more content…
Although parts of the truth were expressed in each testimony, most of the details presented were exaggerated and selfish in nature. As each character tried protecting their honor, they ultimately lost it in the process by being dishonest. In our own lives, we have to be aware of this danger; it may be important to be seen in a good light, but it is more important that we never sacrifice the qualities that matter in order to gain this