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In an anime I was watching there is this line:

> 力の赴くままに暴力をふるっていただけだったのだろうか

As context, the character was fighting alongside a friend/romantic interest:
while the friend was focusing on defending a poaching boat, the speaker was
focusing on fighting the enemy, because poachers doesn't deserve to be
protected. In the end, the friend was hurt.

In her past, the speaker worried about being too focused on violence in kendo,
which clearly reflects in this scene.

I was wondering about the meaning of の赴くままに: I didn't find any grammar pages
about this, and nothing on my grammars, but I know
[赴く](https://jisho.org/word/%E8%B5%B4%E3%81%8F) means "to proceed according
to", and I [found](https://hinative.com/ja/questions/1035333) an example of
の赴くままに, from which I read N + の赴くままに means "according to N, following N"; with
this reading, the quote would mean "Was I just acting violently, following my
strenght/power?" (lit., "Was I just exhibiting/exercising violence").

Is this right? Can I take N + の赴くままに as a set expression meaning "following
(my) N; according to (my) N"?
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2021-11-18T13:50:10.817
91257
2021-11-19T03:15:36.597
2021-11-18T16:42:21.140
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question
grammar
Meaning of noun + の赴くままに
You can take it as a set phrase. Note, however, that what you follow is an
emotion, an instinct, or something that drives you from within yourself, and
also that you follow it without thinking much, like you let whatever is
indicated by the noun determine your course of action. You cannot use it for
things like a schedule even if they belong to you.
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2021-11-19T02:20:09.143
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2021-11-19T03:15:36.597
2021-11-19T03:15:36.597
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43676
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answer