ごん狐 — why does 兵十 shoot ごん right after ごん finally gets the message across?

Question

ごん狐 by 新美南吉. The tragedy of the ending hits hard — ごん sneaks in one more time to make up for what he did, and 兵十 shoots him without knowing that's what's happening, only realizing the truth after it's too late. Is the tragedy meant to be about miscommunication specifically, or is there a broader theme I'm missing (guilt, loneliness)?

Accepted Answer

Miscommunication is the mechanism, but the deeper theme is loneliness and unrecognized kindness — ごん's whole arc is him trying to connect with someone (first mischievously, then out of guilt/care) and never once being SEEN for who he's actually being. Even the final moment of recognition comes one second too late to matter to ごん himself. It's a very sad, gentle meditation on how good intentions can go completely unwitnessed until it's irreversible.