“Akutagawa Ryunosake has torn a hole in our consciousness. We have skirted the edge of the abyss, peering into its depths.” Yokomitsu RiichiTruth is not the only related topic that Akutagawa Ryunosake raises in his short story "In a Grove." The text is an enigmatic take on everything from traditional Japanese symbolism to traditional gender roles. These paradoxes are reflected not only in the questions raised by each character's version of the truth, but also in the inverted stereotypes of traditional Japanese symbols and revealed in each witness' response to the crime. Interestingly, Akutagawa encompasses the entire story within the framework of an ancient Japanese folktale Konjaku and rewrites it to tell a modern story in which everything is in opposition to traditional Japanese perception. As reflected in the era in which he wrote the story, Akutagawa emphasizes tradition and fills the story with contradictions. When examining the lyrics of “In the Grove” through the lens of Japanese symbolism, every detail of the story is a commentary that opposes the traditional reading of the text. It becomes clear that Akutagawa was not only distorting traditional notions of truth, but his depictions of the thief, the samurai, and the woman's tale of rape reveal a modernist interpretation of this crime and present a “new” response to these ideas in its history. At first glance, it may seem like this story is a laundry list of stereotypical rape myths, but the gender roles that Akutagawa presents in this story are representative of a new woman who is taking her destiny into her own hands. Rape is a terrible crime that is the ultimate violation of a person's deepest self. The crime of rape in the story "In the Grove" is interpreted differently due to cultural episodes and...... middle of paper ......l Episodes, Legendary Characters, Folklore Myths, Religious Symbolism, Illustrations in the arts of ancient Japan. Rutland, VT: John Lane, 1908. June 7, 2010. Web. April 25, 2014. Mackie, Vera. "Gender and Modernity in Japan's 'Long Twentieth Century'" Journal of Women's History 25.3 (Fall 2013): 62-91. MUSE project. Network. April 15, 2014. Marran, Christine L. Poison Woman: Understanding Female Transgression in Modern Japanese Culture. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2007. Print.Matsui, Yayori. “The plight of Asian migrant women working in the Japanese sex industry.” Japanese Women: New Feminist Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future. Ed. Kumiko Fujimura-Fanselow and Atsuko Kameda. New York: Feminist at the City U of New York, 1995. 309-16. Print.Tsuruta, Kinya. Akutagawa's "In a Grove" Essays on Japanese Literature (1977): 95-104. Web. April 15. 2014.