Descending Stories

The scene opens with a conversation between the protagonist and a customer. The protagonist asks the customer if he has thought ahead of time about what he is going to do with his life. The customer replies that he has, and that he would have liked to see the protagonist in his kimono before he leaves for school. He tells the protagonist that he is not a stand-in for the protagonist, but that he must act "naturally." The protagonist replies that the only thing he can do for his life is to die, but the protagonist says that he does not need to act like a "stand-in" for him. He goes on to say that there is nothing else in the world that needs refinement more than art. He says that art needs to be "approachable" or "familiar." He adds that if the protagonist continues to bend his art toward his audience, it will eventually become "permanent warped." He then says that the protagonist should go home and get drunk with the protagonist.