The Third Night

I Lam
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The Third Night Sept 2, 2015 20:31:33 GMT

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Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 20:31:33 GMT

Pretty much as soon as I read that there was a child on his back, after the puzzled/hesitating tone of the main character, I thought it was going to be a horror story (I mean, it kind of was). Since I'm not familiar with Natsume Souseki's works, I'm not really sure why this was named "The Third Night" (was there a first and second?), and so everything about this story is all the more mysterious. Was the man who dreamt this truly the guilty man, considering the long time span since the murder? Was he simply possessed and given those memories? If he is the murderer himself, my god, how old is he?
On a slightly more serious note, there were a lot of little details in the story that seemed interesting to me. Why specifically six years old? If the entity on his back is an ojizou, then this just adds to the ghost stories I've read concerning jizou statues. Aren't they supposed to be holy...?

If I really try to be deep about this story (going by just what I've read), then I would interpret it as a metaphor about the weight of a history of bloodshed on the backs of the younger generations; that even if one tries to forget or dump the seemingly unrelated (yet related) burden, in the end, because it is a land's history, and one is related to that land, the guilt and grudge are inherited. Thoughts?

I Lam Guest	The Third Night Sept 2, 2015 20:34:43 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 20:34:43 GMT Also, I wonder what would've happened if he had simply gone down the other path at the fork?

Caden Hong
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The Third Night Sept 2, 2015 20:55:01 GMT

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Post by Caden Hong on Sept 2, 2015 20:55:01 GMT

You make some interesting points, especially on the metaphor about history of violence being put on the backs/shoulders of younger generations. Your comment makes me wonder why then, was this all prefaced with the statement that this experience was just a dream? Pushing the realism of the story aside, having that as a dream makes it less consequential and not as important than if it were a real life event.

If the man went down the other path at the fork, I feel that the walk would have been much longer. But no matter how long of a detour the man may have taken, in the end, I think the child would have led him to the same destination anyway because the kid is used as a device to reveal the negative, dark history that was covered and forgotten by the man. I feel that the fork was just used to add to the feeling of intensity because the it was the child on the man's back that was leading this journey anyway.

I Lam
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The Third Night Sept 2, 2015 21:10:53 GMT

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Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 21:10:53 GMT

Well, if we stay on the history thought, then I would say that making it a dream gives it less of a horror story vibe and brings about a bit more thought. When the main character wakes up, he will think about the murder that possibly occurred in that location, and he will continue to feel remnants of the very real weight that the child (now that I think about it, a child will also inherit the grudge of war, so I wonder if that was why a child was used--to present both sides?) was on his back. It's the same feeling I think we'd get if we found out about a particularly horrible war crime committed by our own ancestors.

I hadn't even thought of that! So either way, the truth is unavoidable?

angelina kurganska
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The Third Night Sept 3, 2015 21:45:51 GMT

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Post by angelina kurganska on Sept 3, 2015 21:45:51 GMT

i think you have a very interesting interpretation of this story. If you look at it from the view point of many Japanese horror movies, which i feel often times significantly reflect on the culture, then the story does make a lot of sense. The child can indeed be interpreted as a grudge, which is there to guide people into seeing the events of the past so that the sad story is not left unheard. This is also conveyed in the "father's" confusion towards the "son", and the desire to get rid of him.

Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 20:31:33 GMT

Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 20:34:43 GMT

Post by Caden Hong on Sept 2, 2015 20:55:01 GMT

Post by I Lam on Sept 2, 2015 21:10:53 GMT

Post by angelina kurganska on Sept 3, 2015 21:45:51 GMT

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