Why Do We Lie

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“Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing” says Akira Kurosawa (IMDb 1). Kurosawa develops this thought from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short story, “In a Grove.” The story portrays human beings who lie to make themselves look better than what they actually are. The story provides the reader with three significant testimonies of the crime from Tajomaru, Masago, and Takehiro. The film adaptation, Rashomon, differs slightly from the short story and provides four individuals’ accounts of the event: the original three and the woodcutter’s additional testimony. The woodcutter’s additional testimony serves as the source of truth that unveils the lies the characters made. …show more content…
The portrayal of Tajomaru’s story in the film is based on his confession in the short story. Tajomaru flaunts in his testimony about how he fought Takehiro heroically. He perceives himself as superior for successfully luring the couple into his trap with a seemingly effortless scheme. The infamous Tajomaru captures Takehiro and goes after Masago. Tajomaru becomes attracted to Masago’s fierce spirit and successfully subdues her. He affectionately kisses Masago and she reciprocates by kissing back. Tajomaru’s account of this portion of the story classifies himself as an attractive and appealing womanizer. He then mentions how he cuts the ropes that ties Takehiro to demonstrate his courage to fight for her. They honorably strike at each other ferociously for Masago. After a long intense fight, Tajomaru slays Takehiro at the twenty-third stroke. Even with a strong opponent, Tajomaru is still capable of winning. Hence, he is strong and invincible. At the end of Tajomaru’s testimony, he nonchalantly laughs it off like he doesn’t care anymore. Tajomaru’s embellished story tries to persuade the audience to see him as a clever, attractive, and

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