落ちてくる！ 伊藤人譽

病室の老婆が、ベッドの上の電灯の傘が落ちてくると心配していると、本当に落ちてきて胸に傘の凹みができる。一方、孫はお婆さんのお金で買ってもらったグローブでボールを空に放り投げて受け取る遊びをする。ボールが「落ちてくる！」ということで、二つの話を結びつけている。

　発想がおもしろいし、結びつけ方が面白い。しかし、疑問に思うのはベッドの上の電気の傘が落ちてきたとき、なぜ老婆の胸が丸く凹んだのか。普通円錐形の傘が落ちてきたら、傘の周りの部分だけ胸に当たって胸は丸い跡が残るだけのはずだが。それとも傘がひっくりがえっており、でっぱている方が下向きになっていたのだろうか。

 

伊藤人譽　1913－　昭和時代の小説家。
大正2年3月21日生まれ。昭和18年「文学界」に登山をテーマにした小説「岩小屋」を発表する。同人誌「小説界」「文学四季」などに参加。戦後の作品に短編集「登山者」「ガールフレンド」,長編小説「猟人」などがある。東京出身。アテネ・フランセ中退。本名は隆幸。

Miracle Polish by Steven Millhauser

The effect of the “Miracle Polish” lures the reader into reading the next page. The protagonist looks more attractive in the polished mirror, and so does his girlfriend, Monica.

　　Monica hates the effect. She wants him to look at her real self. Therefore, he destroys all the mirrors in the house one after another like a mad man. But contrary to the reader’s expectation, he is so persistent in asking how she liked the destruction of the mirrors; he asks her, “Are you happy?” He repeats the question again and again to the extent that he is obsessed.

Probably she will lose interest in him. That means: “This is the lucky day” turns out to be “This is the unlucky day.”

　　The story ends in the air.

My Oedipus Complex by Frank O’Conner

　　This is one of the best short stories I have ever read. The most amazing thing about this story is that the psychology of the protagonist, a five-year-old boy, is precisely described. His battle against his father over his mother is so well written that I identified myself with him (although I don’t think I had such a combatant relationship with my father). Both his father and his mother’s irritation are also described vividly.
　　While reading the story, I wondered what would be the ending, but the writer finnished the story by bringing a baby, Sonny, between the boy and his father. Both of them are now hindrance in bringing up the baby. So, in conclusion they come to a truce. They are deprived of the woman they loved by the appearance of the second child. 　
　　This is a very persuasive ending.
　　How imaginative the writer is in revealing the child’s psychology!