The Woman in the Dunes

Content Warning: This section contains a description of a sexual assault.

It is October. The man builds a trap out of sand slides to catch crows and calls the trap “Hope.” He plans to attach a letter to the crow’s leg. He tries to blend into life there, so the villagers stop noticing him and let down their guard. The woman strings beads for extra income. The man avoids reading the newspaper so as not to upset himself. He recalls an engraving he’d seen called “Hell of Loneliness,” which at the time he didn’t understand, but he does now. He starts to find contentment with the repetition of work and life in the pit. One morning, a cartoon magazine is delivered to him. Oddly, he finds it hilarious despite its stupidity because he identifies with the plight of a cartoon horse with broken legs. He worries that he’ll become so accustomed to his situation and to waiting for rescue that he won’t be able to stand being free once he’s on the outside. He goes out to admire the mist and speaks to it as if it were a judge, asking to be told the reason for his sentence.