LoT Book CLub - Book 2 - Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Not Afraid · 08-15-2006, 11:30 AM

I finished over the weekend and, I have to say that upon second reading, things seem to come together for me in many more ways. It may be because I have read muchmore Murakami and he explores similar themes in other books, but I see a cohesiveness in this book I didn't see before.

I have a few primary thoughts that have been surfacing and I thought I'd pose them as question here to discuss. I will finish formulating my own thoughts on these subjects and write something a bit later. But, for now, I want to see if you all have any thoughts on these questions.

What is the Wind Up Bird? What is it's meaning in the novel?

What is the significance of water in the book?

Discuss the layers of the characters in the book. There seems to be several parts that make up each character; the "worldly" identity and the "other", unconscious, or "core" identity.
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I have to say that I am convinced that the lady on the phone and the person in the hotel room are Komiko - they are just the unconscious part of Komike that Toru doesn't recognize because he is only familiar with the worldly identity of Komiko. That was something that didn't gel with me the first time - but seems so obvious now.

Every character either experiences or speak of the "other" identity in the book. May talks about the mass inside, Creta sees her core when she is defiles by Norobu, Toru learns to tap into the unconscious world by visiting the well. Miyama experiences the "other" while in the well but can't grasp it, Cinnamon has cyberspace as his "other", Nutmeg exxperiences the other while on the ship. Norubu is the only character that has no "other" side revealed.

I read an essay about the book that explores this concept a bit further and suggests that Norubu was Toru's "other" but described it as a "nostalgic image". I will find that description and post it here. It is a difficult explaination but it seemed to make sense when I read it.

This book is so rich and complex that, I could spend hours thinking and discussing it. There are a thousand angles to approach it from and I wish we had the benefit of a face to face discussion.

08-15-2006, 11:30 AM	#19
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	I finished over the weekend and, I have to say that upon second reading, things seem to come together for me in many more ways. It may be because I have read muchmore Murakami and he explores similar themes in other books, but I see a cohesiveness in this book I didn't see before. I have a few primary thoughts that have been surfacing and I thought I'd pose them as question here to discuss. I will finish formulating my own thoughts on these subjects and write something a bit later. But, for now, I want to see if you all have any thoughts on these questions. What is the Wind Up Bird? What is it's meaning in the novel? What is the significance of water in the book? Discuss the layers of the characters in the book. There seems to be several parts that make up each character; the "worldly" identity and the "other", unconscious, or "core" identity. ___________________________________ I have to say that I am convinced that the lady on the phone and the person in the hotel room are Komiko - they are just the unconscious part of Komike that Toru doesn't recognize because he is only familiar with the worldly identity of Komiko. That was something that didn't gel with me the first time - but seems so obvious now. Every character either experiences or speak of the "other" identity in the book. May talks about the mass inside, Creta sees her core when she is defiles by Norobu, Toru learns to tap into the unconscious world by visiting the well. Miyama experiences the "other" while in the well but can't grasp it, Cinnamon has cyberspace as his "other", Nutmeg exxperiences the other while on the ship. Norubu is the only character that has no "other" side revealed. I read an essay about the book that explores this concept a bit further and suggests that Norubu was Toru's "other" but described it as a "nostalgic image". I will find that description and post it here. It is a difficult explaination but it seemed to make sense when I read it. This book is so rich and complex that, I could spend hours thinking and discussing it. There are a thousand angles to approach it from and I wish we had the benefit of a face to face discussion.
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