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雪国 - Snow Country Home Thread
Week 4
Start Date: Nov 21th
Previous Part: Week 3
Next Part: Week 5
Reading:
Week |
Start Date |
End Phrase |
End Page (角川文庫) |
End % |
Page Count |
Week 4 |
Nov 21th |
開いているように見えた |
65 |
35% |
16 |
Word lists - Learn the vocabulary for 雪国 - Snow Country
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Proper Noun Readings
Name |
Reading |
Notes |
Proof |
島村 |
しまむら |
Our protagonist |
|
葉子 |
ようこ |
The girl on the train |
Furigana |
駒子 |
こまこ |
The girl in the village |
Furigana |
Hey all, I did not get around to asking earlier, so here goes
Question for this week
I really liked this week’s description of the village and the surroundings, that brought a nice and fresh energy! Overall, I also found the story easy to follow this week, but at one point I think I took a wrong turn, so maybe somebody could help me along?
島村 and 駒子 went to her house, and her room was upstairs (reachable only by climbing up a ladder). I think that they entered her room as the description then went about her room’s details (like her dresser and her shelf and stuff) and how the room was right beneath the roof and everything. But then 葉子 appears through a sliding door, steps over the sumisen, and this seems to happen on the ground floor again as it mentions them being in the 土間 after that (and leaving the house shortly after).
What I’m missing is, how did they get down again? Was it that the two of them were upstairs, while 葉子 was downstairs and called up to them? And then the two climbed down, and they all left? That would make sense, as 葉子’s room was described as being downstairs. Or am I missing some important spatial information here?
Question for the overall plot
I guess I need to practice more “reading between the lines” What totally left me puzzled so far is this:
In week 1 we had the “finger issue” which I took to mean that they had had sex. But in week 2 we had the cutback to when they met for the first time, and there was no mention of that whatsoever I mean, I did not expect a detailed description à la Murakami, but this was a bit too subtle of a hint for me…
Or is the fact that a woman goes to a man’s room and stays the whole night (in the 1930’s or maybe even earlier) enough to understand that they did not just drink tea and play Bridge the whole time? - On the other hand she was dead drunk, and he expressly mentioned that he was trying hard to keep the promise he had made to himself for her (namely that he wouldn’t touch her because she was “too pure”) - or does the description of “he tried hard” already imply his failing to keep it?
Also, what is wrong with this lady btw? She likes to come to his room, to throw a racket, and then she stays overnight.
Thank you for your help and insights, I’m looking forward to it!
4 Likes
I’m probably getting back to reading this tonight or tomorrow. I’ll get back to you then
3 Likes