“Shinsuke still remembers the stink of varnish from the used desk they bought him. Actually, with its green baize surface and shiny silver-colored drawer pulls, the desk had a nice, neat look to it at first glance, but the cloth was worn thin, and the drawers never opened smoothly. This piece of furniture was not so much a desk as a symbol of the entire household, a symbol of the constant struggle to keep up appearances.” PovertyThe Early YearsAkutagawa S Own StoryDaidoji Shinsuke Book:Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories Source: Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories