芥川龙之介是日本短篇小说的巨擘，在他所创作的众多短篇小说中，往往通过人物的塑造，情节结构，氛围营造、叙事语调等艺术手段，多层次、多侧面地展开了人性深层的探询，他在深入的探讨人生的过程中，越发的感到世界的丑陋与人性的丑恶，因而在创作之初便以“探索人性”作为自 己文学创作的主题，力图在作品中刻画出人物微妙的心理变化，以及人处于极端“自由”状态下所表现出的人性中的利己主义和伦理间的矛盾。 本文正是试图通过对其部分短篇小说(如 《地狱变》、《罗生门》、《文明的杀人》、《假面丑八怪》等)中人物心理的研究，揭示出人性中隐秘幽微的心理，同时通过对这些作品的分析，以及芥川在其一生中为其所苦的种种矛盾冲突 (人性与艺术、道德与伦理、人类自我内心)的探视中，了解芥川眼中所见到的世界，以及对人性与人世的绝望和挣扎。

Ryunosuke Akutagawa is one giant in the circle of Japanese short stories. In his stories, he always touch the deep part of human nature from multiple profiles and multilayer by the art artifice of figuring character, constructing plot, building atmosphere and narrating cockneyism. In his process of probing into the philosophy of life, he fully realizes the ugliness of the world and the frightfulness of human being. So in the beginning of his composing, Ryunosuke Akutagawa treats "Exploring the Philosophy of life"as his literature theme.He strives to depict the delicate mental change of characters and human nature's egoism and ethical conflict at the extreme of freedom. This article just studies the characters'inside part in his stories,such as Samurai Shodown, ら しよ う も ん and so on,to show the concealed and detailed thinking activities of characters. Meanwhile, through analyzing these works and exploring the conflicts that bothering him, such as human nature and art, morality and ethic, self-inside, we wish to know the world in the eyes of Akutagawa and his desperation to human nature and human society.