“でも僕が本当に怖いと思うのは、青木のような人間の言い分を無批判に受け入れて、そのまま信じてしまう連中です。”
"But, I think the most dreadful thing is people who accept words from person like Aoki without thinking and uncritically."
This is a story of about one person's something of an interview or near-monologue. At a restaurant in an airport, the story begins with a person saying to Osawa, "Have you ever hit someone while you were arguing?" Oosawa is a quiet and courteous person. Nobody has ever heard he speaks ill of others, so it was unexpected for the person that Osawa goes to boxing gym for years.
Boxing was far removed from his image.
Therefore, the person asked him that question in a casual way.
A short while later, Osawa answered "To tell the truth, I have hit someone only once." When he was a second-year junior high school student, he hit a classmate, Aoki. The man was really smart, popular, and respected by all, including teachers. However, Osawa only knew that he is an empty person. Aoki had no opinion of his own. He was fascinated with his own talent, and satisfied with being applauded.
When a final exam, Osawa got a first prize on an English test in order to get something he wanted at that time. Because of the result, Aoki was jealous of him, and spread bad rumor about him that Osawa cheated on the test. Then Osawa asked to him why you did do that, but Aoki refused to permit what he did, and tried to go away. At the moment, Osawa hit his face with anger.
Since then, they never talked until they graduated junior high school, and kept not having conversation at all after they got entered the same high school. When Osawa was a third-year high school student, in the summer vacation, one student committed suicide. A short after the beginning of the third term, he noticed that the atmosphere in the classroom had changed. Everybody avoided him. After that, he called by his classroom teacher, and police for suspecting that he had been bullied that suicided student.
Osawa tried to prove his innocence, but nobody believed him. Aoki put a drop of poison into the school. Since he hit by Osawa, he had been waited for the opportunity to revenge him. Smooth-talking and respected man told the truth to everybody that Osawa learns boxing and he hit me when they were in junior high school. The combination of the facts and the bad atmosphere created a innocent person. Aoki's plot was succeeded.
As a result, Osawa was hit by a mental crisis. Nobody tried to get involved with him. Everybody ignored his presence. Even teacher, who has to support and protect students from those actions, avoided him. He was on the brink of mental destruction. One month after the event, he met Aoki on a train full of people by accident. At first, he was looking at Osawa with triumphant eyes, and Osawa was glaring at him as well. However, while they were glaring at one another, Osawa started to feel a strange emotion. It was neither an anger nor grudge. It was rather close to pity or sorrow. Osawa understood that the man will never understand a real joy or genuine pride which existing in the back of one's mind. He isn't capable of understand those kinds of feelings.
Since then, he escaped from his mental crisis, and spent the latter half of the third term. He learned that what is more fearful thing than person like Aoki is people who believes without thinking and accepts uncritically what clever people in authority said.
"Lexington Ghosts" is an anthology of short stories of Haruki Murakami. There are 7 short stories containing in it. And, this is the review of 「沈黙」-The Silence-. The reason why I chose to write a review of "The Silence" is that it gives me a brave. I met this short story when I was in Faculty of Commerce, I already had the patience to unreasonable people or things. The trait was born when I was in junior high school and throughout 3 years, which was tempered by some bullies.
I was a silent and philosophical student, just like Osawa. I had some friends, I don't know what and where they are doing now, anyway, most of them were members of tennis club that I belonged to. I used to play tennis with them in our spare time, but I liked reading book or thinking something better than playing tennis or going out. I wanted to being alone.
However, some students must have been hate me. To tell the truth, I don't exactly remember what they did to me. One thing is for sure, when I try to remember them, I feel funny. You know what they say, "When people face hardship event, they try to forget all about that in order to protect themselves.", I think it fits me. I put up with their long-standing intervening. I didn't ask teacher or parents for help because I understood that if I asked them for help, the situation would turned into worse.
When I read "The Silence" for the first time, I felt...how should I express? Hm...maybe I felt I was somewhat relieved by the story. It succeeded in verbalizing what I experienced. Therefore, I chose this one. If I knew the story at that time, I would have spent cozy school days. If I become a teacher, I would introduce this book.
Murakami Haruki. (1996). レキシントンの幽霊-Lexington Ghosts-. Tokyo. Bungeishunju.
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