I read “Transients in Arcadia” and “The gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

“Transients in Arcadia”

This story was a man and a woman stayed in the great hotel Lotus and two looks very excellent, sophisticated, but at the end it’s proved that both of them actually did living life not so rich-each other needs go back to work.

It’s interesting the metaphor using in this hotel-“during the torrid day one remains in the umbrageous fastnesses of the Lotus as a trout hangs poised in the pellucid sanctuaries of his favorite pool.”.

The description how a woman looks as if a queen was great-“She breakfasted at ten, a cool, sweet, leisurely, delicate being who glowed softly in the dimness like a jasmine flower in the dusk.”.

The description how a woman had the distance from daily life was swell-“I wanted to get up when I please instead of having to crawl out at seven every morning; and I wanted to live on the best and be waited on and ring bells for things just like rich folks do.”.

“The gift of the Magi”

In this story two man was out. One was the mistress Della and another was her husband Jim. The season was Christmas, so Della wanted to get the great present for Jim, but don’t enough money-only had one dollar and eighty-seven cents. So Della decided to sell her hair-it was she proud of and got the present that was worthy platinum fob chain for her husband’s watch. After getting home, Jim gave the present to Della, it was the set of combs Della had worshiped but look at Della, Della cut the hair, so he hesitated to give the present. Della gave Jim the present-Platinum fob chain for Jim’s watch but Jim had sold his watch already to get the present-the set of comb for Della. As be in the title the word “Magi” means so wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger, and O. Henry thought this story’s character was so wise.

The description how the mistress was miserable was great-“There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.”.

The description how Della felt the pleasure was great-“white fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.”.

This two story’s ended up did something mutually.

Bibliography

O. Henry; selected and with an introduction by Burton Raffel (1984), “41 stories by O. Henry”, New York: Signet Classic

(O. ヘンリー著・大久保康雄訳、2002年、『O. ヘンリ短編集(一)』、新潮文庫

O. ヘンリー著・大久保康雄訳、2008年、『O. ヘンリ短編集(二)』、新潮文庫)

I read “The mother of a queen” , “One reader writes” by Earnest Hemingway

“The mother of a queen”

This story’s main character was so selfish: the man who don’t pay the money for his mother’s grave in spite of coming the warming “if you don’t pay money, your mother’s bone will dumped on the public boneheap”, and he wantd to borrow money from his acquaintance for lend money for vanity to his friends who faced the mother’s sick. For the attitude of the man like as I introduced, the man was called as a queen.

It’s impressive the man said “it’s my business” many times when he was told the acquaintance “please pay the money for your mother”. I recalled some works of Dazai’s character or himself.

“One reader writes”

This story was so short, only have two pages but interesting.

This took the form of letter one woman should do who’s husband was took “sifilus” to the doctor.

The repletion in the last part lingered in my mind like a sort of lyrics as follows: I want to do whatever is right. It’s such a long time though. It’s a ling time. And it’s been a long time. My Christ, it’s been a long time. He had to go wherever they sent him, I know, but I don’t know what he had to get if for. Oh, I wish to Christ he wouldn’t have got it. I don’t care what he did to get it. But I wish to Christ he hadn’t ever got it…I wish to Christ he hadn’t got any kind of malady. I don’t know why he had to get a malady.”

Bibliography

Ernest Hemingway, (1972), “The Nick Adams stories”, New York: Scribner

(谷口睦男他訳、『ヘミングウェイ全集1』、三笠書房、1973年)

I read “The light of the world” and “Fathers and Sons” by Earnest Hemingway

“The light of the world”

This story treated the famous boxer, Steve Ketchel: In the station during waiting the train two men I and Tom met many people, and among two in this people, one was whores and so big, another was just ordinary looking whores, peroxide blondes, this two women was talking Steve Ketchel-they talked as follows: the peroxide blondes said “He was more than any husband could ever be”, the big one declared he said “You’re a lovely piece.”…and the argue continued about Steve Ketchel for whether it’s lie or not about saying them, and how they love Steve Ketchel. This story ended when the big one said she was said pretty by Steve Kechel but if I and Tom looked her she was as big as three women.

Hemingway’s other stories like “The killer” and “The battler”, this story also treated fighter. After reading, it’s interesting to watch the fight Jack Johnson with Stanley Ketchel.

“Fathers and Sons”

This story, as it can know from the title, the theme was each sons have each fathers: Nick’s son said to Nick I’ll bet your father, my grandfather wasn’t better than you, but Nick responded “Oh, yes he was. He shot very quickly and beautifully…he was always very disappointed in the way I shot.”.

I was impressed the scene Nick remembered the way of hunting the quail taught by his father cause it’s have so detail as follows: “In shooting quail you must not get between them and their habitual cover, once the dogs have found them, or when they flush they will come pouring at you, some rising steep, some skimming by your ears, whirring into a size you have never seen them in the air as they pass, the only way being to turn and take them over your shoulder as they go, before they set their wings and angle down into the thicket.".

Bibliography

Ernest Hemingway, (1972), “The Nick Adams stories”, New York: Scribner

(谷口睦男他訳、『ヘミングウェイ全集1』、三笠書房、1973年)

芥川龍之介の作品を読み漁る——「Mensura Zoili」

先ずMensura Zoiliとは何かという疑問があるわけだがMensuraはラテン語で計り、Zoiliは酷評家をZoileということからからとっているのだという。で、この物語は船でZoiliaという国に向かう際中の会話が中心。最近そこの国では価値測定器という物を載せると価値をはかってくれる物ができたよう——試しに芥川の「煙草」を載せると<常識以外に何もない>とでて、久米正雄の「銀貨」を載せると<この創作の動機が、人生のくだらぬ発見。おまけに早く大人がって通がりそうなトーンが、作全体を低級な卑しいものにしている>とでた。主人公僕は久米正雄への測定の結果を聞いて嫌になった。モーパッサンの「女の一生」は最高価値を示すのだという。……船は揺れ気が付くと僕は書斎のロッキングチェアに腰かけてSt. John Ervineの"The Critics"という本を読んでいたという落ちがある。

星新一の「価値測定器」——懐中時計のような測定器をもっていることで女や事業の価値を正確にわかりうまくいった生活をしていた人が、測定器をもっている状態で自分に測定器をあてると高い価値を示すのだが測定器を手放した後、他の人がその測定器を持っていた人にあてると価値はなかった—つまらない人間にすぎなかった…つまり価値があるのは測定器自体で測定器をもつ人には価値があるわけではないという作品を思い出した。

芥川龍之介、「芥川龍之介全集1」、ちくま文庫、1992年

I read “Horse thief” and “The visitor” by Erskine Caldwell

“Horse thief”

This story’s hero I was doubted by stealing the calico horse by Lud Moseley although I mistakenly rode the calico horse instead of my bareback in the dark when I met Naomi who was a daughter of Lud Moseley on Thursday nights.

In this story the description Mr. John Turner will tell you I’m not steal the horse frequently out. The hero I worked for Mr. John Turner for many years, this settings is the same Lonnie in “Kneel to the rising sun”.

“The visitor”

This is the story was first time intended to met only the hero I and Laura on Sunday, but in there not only Laura, also Drusilla, the roommate of Laura was there without saying him beforehand, I confused first but latter made good relationships with Drusilla more than Laura after Drusilla was gotten stung by a bee and I cured it.

In this story also as “Horse thief”, I felt the repetition was appeared many times, in this story was as follows: I remembered that I had been looking forward to Sunday for a whole week.

The impressive scene was the hero I pulled the poison that brought by a bee out from Drusilla: “Leaning over her I put my mouth over the swelling and sucked as hard as I could, and then I spat the poison on the ground…” and the hero I forgot all about the bee-sting and absorbed in Drusilla’s body also Drusilla absorbed in him: “I felt my lips tight over her skin and my hands gripping her shoulders against my head. I could not see her face, but I felt her hands holding tightly to me as if she were afraid she would fall if she took them away.”, and even the hero I kissed Drusilla after she did not feel the pain any more. The places of this story was the orchard and at this Drusilla was stung by the bee, I felt the orchard have the relationships with love like “The strawberry season” by Caldwell or “Paper pills” by Anderson. I felt swell the phrase “All good peaches are fuzzy”.

参考

アースキンコールドウェル著・西川正身注釈、”Kneel to the rising sun, and other stories”、研究社、1967年

コールドウェル著・鈴木重吉訳、「苺つみの季節・馬盗人」、英宝社、1982年