Sorekara

is a 1909 Japanese novel by Natsume Sōseki. It is the second part of a trilogy, preceded by Sanshirō (1908) and followed by The Gate (1910). thumb | right | Part of the manuscripts of "And Then" ==Plot== The novel starts with Daisuke, the protagonist, waking up and staring at the ceiling, his hand feeling for his heartbeat. He is the son of a wealthy family and has graduated from a prestigious university, but despite graduating, he is now thirty years old and unemployed, depending on his father's wealth.

One day, he meets his former university friends, Hiraoka and Terao. Hiraoka had a career in the Japanese civil service, but he fought with his boss and was fired for mismanaging finance. Terao intended to become a world-famous novelist but ended up in a part-time job translating works and writing short articles for low wages. These two friends represent a world that Daisuke feels completely detached from, and he questions their reasons for working.