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I'm trying to understand the 「まいとしているふうなのだ」 part in:

さっさと言われた通りにすれば良いものを、店番の男はなぜだか渋面をして相手の要求を頑なに聞き入れまいとしているふうなのだ

As far as I can understand:

  • さっさと言われた通りにすれば良いものを: Although he should quickly have done as told

  • 店番の男はなぜだか渋面をして相手の要求を頑なに: the clerk for some reason grimaced and stubbornly

  • 聞き入れまいとしているふうなのだ: "To comply", and I'm not sure what the rest means.

I think 「まい」 means "doesn't intend to" (second meaning); maybe 「としている」 is part of the various meaning of 「とする」, but I can put my finger on which one. Here l'électeur said all of the different meanings of 「とする」 share a meaning of "making a decision of some sort", so maybe 「としている」 shows that the clerk decided to not comply with the request?

As for 「ふう」, is it the same as in 「こんなふう」, meanning "manner"?

If I'm on the right track, the sentences would mean something like "he didn't intend to comply"; still I'm not sure about the interaction between 「まい」 and 「としている」 ("he decided to not intend"? Kinda awkward and wrong-sounding), and about how 「ふう」 fits, I basically ignored it.

As per 「なのだ」, I guess it's 「だ」 > 「な」 copula + explanatory「のだ」.

Mauro
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1 Answers1

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「さっさと言われた通{とお}りにすれば良いものを、店番{みせばん}の男はなぜだか渋面{しぶつら}をして相手{あいて}の要求{ようきゅう}を頑{かたく}なに聞{き}き入{い}れまいとしているふうなのだ。」

The simpler part first.

「ふう」＝「風」 in kanji = "behavior", "manner", "style", "appearance", etc.

Next, 「まいとしている」.

「Verb + まいとする」

expresses 'negative volitional' meaning:

"to not intend to [Verb]", "to try not to [Verb]", etc.

「まい」 is a subsidiary verb expressing a negative intention or supposition.

Thus, the phrase:

「聞き入れまいとしているふうなのだ」

means:

"it appears as though (the clerk) would not intend to accept (the other guy's request)"

It seems you are over-analyzing the 「としている」. It is simply the present progressive form of the expression 「～～まいとする」.

Your understanding of the 「なのだ」 looks good.