Thought of 蜜柑

Author

Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Book Introduction and Summary

″Mikan" is a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa published in the literary magazine "Shincho（新潮）" in 1919.

It depicts the protagonist boarding a train from Yokosuka Station and spending time with a girl (13 years old) who is going to serve her country.

It is based on the author Akutagawa's own experience.The Kindle version is available for free ¥0.00.

The protagonist lived a boring life, feeling tired and weary,  waiting for the train to depart. Just before the train departs, a country girl jumps into the train. The protagonist is disgusted by her ugly appearance.

Then he sees a startling sight.

She was a very country girl with red cheeks. The main character did not like her vulgar face and filthy clothes and was even more displeased that she was holding an economy class ticket. There, we were seated in business class.

She sniffs and struggles to open the heavy glass doors of the train.The train will soon be approaching a tunnel, and the protagonist cannot understand why her daughter wants to open the window. He is frustrated by her behavior.

The train then goes through the tunnel and passes a railroad crossing. I notice that there are three boys in kimonos with red cheeks just like my daughter.

As the train passes in front of them, they raise their hands and cheer.

The next moment, my daughter leaned out of the window and threw five or six citrus fruits from her furoshiki to the boys.

Impressions

It was a novel that made me feel very nostalgic.
When I came out of the country, my parents came to see me off, which reminded me of the excitement and loneliness of moving to the city, although the circumstances were different.

Although I thought that reality and novels are different, this work gave color to my boring days.