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

[Not Afraid]

I think he becomes convinced that it is Komiko, as she can use the Komiko voice that he recognizes, but I don''t think it is obviously Komiko - unless you apply the concept or "other identy" to the book.


As far as the duel identities, this is a concept that Murakami uses over and over in his fiction. There is always the abstract concept of deality that is present in his characters but, often, there is a physical manifestation of this duality as well. For me as a reader, it makes for very complex and interesting characters with the added touch of "magical realism" that I personally love in fiction (Garcia Marquez, Allende, Kundera, Rushde, Borges - all favorites). Both parts of a characters identity are needed for an understanding of each character, and Murakami does a great job of exploring thise parts of each of his characters - although it is certainly not overt. I think, as readers, we know asmuch about both Toru's and Komiko's "other" side by the end of the book as we do about their worldly identity.

I think most human being with any desire to be thoughtful about their own identity wants to know more about the "core" of himself. Everyone can see what sort of face we put forth, physically, and others can oftentimes see the other "something" that is internal by a strong driving force, but we often cannot see this in ourselves. I am fascinated by Murakami's take on each characters search for their "whole" identity - the real world version and the internal core identity.


I've been thinking about the water elements and the use of the word "flow" throughout the book. Malta Kano comes into Toru's house early on and checks the water to see if there is a problem with flor. Throughout the book, there are water/flow references. They culminate and end after Toru beats and kills his "evil identity (Norubu Wataya) and the well begins filling up with water. At that point, the healthy "flow" of his life is restored once the blockage is removed. I know there are hundreds of such analogies within the book and I can tie this into the concept of the wind Up Bird as a representative of the flow of time. This will take further explaination on my part, but I am, still formulating this concept.

[Alex]

Toru is also extremely isolated and completely the nexus of the characters in the book. Other than one session where both Norubu and Malta are present and the dual character of Cinnamon and Nutmeg, no person in the book with whom Toru interacts ever interacts with another person.

May never interacts with Kumiko never interacts with Creta never interacts with Cinnamon/Nutmeg never interacts with Lt. Miyami, and so on. Past interactions are mentioned but never observed directly.

No character in the story could, if questioned, directly confirm the existence of any other character.

Which raises for me the possibility that none of the events described really happened. That it is all just the metaphorical coping of a man who has learned his wife was unfaithful and waiting to see how they cope with that.

But that's most likely going to far.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Toru is also extremely isolated and completely the nexus of the characters in the book. Other than one session where both Norubu and Malta are present and the dual character of Cinnamon and Nutmeg, no person in the book with whom Toru interacts ever interacts with another person.

May never interacts with Kumiko never interacts with Creta never interacts with Cinnamon/Nutmeg never interacts with Lt. Miyami, and so on. Past interactions are mentioned but never observed directly.

No character in the story could, if questioned, directly confirm the existence of any other character.

Which raises for me the possibility that none of the events described really happened. That it is all just the metaphorical coping of a man who has learned his wife was unfaithful and waiting to see how they cope with that.

But that's most likely going to far.

Interesting line of thought. It beings to mind the several references to imagination that are brought up in the third part - one is in reference to Mayama and Boris the Manskinner and their relationship, the other is between Toru and the "other" Kumiko in their final encounter in room 208. Oh, to have a searchable copy of the book.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Oh, to have a searchable copy of the book.

Here you go.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Interesting line of thought. It beings to mind the several references to imagination that are brought up in the third part - one is in reference to Mayama and Boris the Manskinner and their relationship, the other is between Toru and the "other" Kumiko in their final encounter in room 208. Oh, to have a searchable copy of the book.

Early on, having had the same lament for M. Bovary, I began taking careful notes of things that caught my interest. Unfortunately 1) it slowed my reading down, so I abandoned it and 2) I've already loaned my copy out, so if I just wrote down a page reference and not a full quote, I'm out of luck.

That being said, here are a few bits I wrote down. Nothing particularly enlightening in terms of digesting the whole book, I'm more drawn to little bits of observational wisdom:

* I found very vivid and familiar the description in chapter 2 of the ettiquette of cooking dinner and waiting before eating until your spouse comes home, even if they are late. You know you're not required to wait, but you do anyway. Of course, that was immediately followed by obvious clues that she was cheating on him, so it was also quite heartbreaking.

* I reference page 33, in chapter 3. He described the torture of being interupted during some long internal train of thought, and never being able to figure out what it was that you were thinking about. I HATE that.

* "If the Dali Lama were on his death bed and the jazz musician Eric Dolphy were to try to explain to him the importance of changing one's engine oil in accordance with changes in the sound of the bass clarinet, that exchange might have been a touch more worthwhile and effective than my conversations with Noboru Wataya." Ha!!! Freaking love that.

*Book 2, Chapter 10 (page 258), May posits that high concepts only exist because death exists. Without death, we'd have no urgency, and no reason to care what life's all about. There's always be time for that later.

* While Mayama was in the well, he asks, "What's the essential difference between 11 hours and 23 hours?"

Like I said, nothing earth shattering, but the two Murakami books I've read are rife with those little gems that make me pause and appreciate his insight.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Here you go.

Eh, that's only selections. "No references to imagination found".

teeheehee. No imagination found.

[Alex]

The word "imagination" appears on pages 63, 156, 268, 374, 405, 471, 472, 552, 555, 560, 562, 578, 579, 580, 584, 588.

The instances surrouding page 579 are the ones in the coversation between Toru and the other Kumiko.

[Not Afraid]

Thanks. I'm not even sure I'm on to anything with this train of thought.

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

I also feel a connection between Boris the Manskinner and Norubu and wonder if they might be the same malignant force. When Lt. Mamiya is unable to shoot Boris what did this imply?

I thought (in retrospect, of course) that maybe only someone with blood ties to Boris/Norubu could kill him/them. This occured to me when alternate universe Toru fails to kill alternate universe Norubu and Komiko is forced to pull the plug on her brother.

Then again, I also considered that Boris the Manskinner knew Lt. Mamiya was not capable of killing another person in cold blood and Lt. Mamiya missed on purpose. But it sure felt like something prevented those bullets from hitting Boris.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by SacTown Chronic

Then again, I also considered that Boris the Manskinner knew Lt. Mamiya was not capable of killing another person in cold blood and Lt. Mamiya missed on purpose. But it sure felt like something prevented those bullets from hitting Boris.

It sure lends creadance to the Noboru as Toru's other theory, assuming you accept the Toru:Mayama::Noboru::Boris analogy. i.e., if Boris is Mayama's other, than he falls under the same prophecy as Mayama, namely that he would not die on that continent.