Dear all,
Please pick a second chapter from this week's reading and post your second entry. Remember to contextualise your entry (page number, paragraph and close context).
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
Please pick a second chapter from this week's reading and post your second entry. Remember to contextualise your entry (page number, paragraph and close context).
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
“You don’t want to be at the mercy of things outside you any more, or thrown into confusion by things you can’t control. You’ve already murdered your father and violated your mother- and now here you are inside your sister. If there’s a curse in all this, you mean to grab it by the horns and fulfil the programme that’s been laid out of you. Lift the burden from your shoulders and live- not caught up in someone else’s schemes, but as you. That’s what you want.”-Chapter 39, pg.398, paragraph 9
ReplyDeleteIn this passage Kafka is in the midst of raping Saruka in his dreams. The reader is not really aware if this is happening only in a dream or if there is a sort of teleportation going on. The mention of the prophecy is reoccurring throughout the novel and here he is fulfilling it. The reader is unaware of the true identity of his sister or his mother but Kafka seems to truly believe that Sakura is his sister and that Miss Saeki is his mother. Crow is the one speaking in the passage. Throughout the novel when Crow is speaking it is usually because Kafka is stressed, having sex or simply unable to think straight. Crow creates a vessel for the reader to know what is going on in Kafka’s mind at all times. Kafka seems to be “burdened” and he seems to have a void he needs to fill. This dream is his attempt of filling that void or at least, what he believes, is his ticket to freedom. Kafka is desperate to be free. The last line: “That’s what you want” is very assertive and suggests to the reader that the boy named Crow is really the one in charge of Kafka and is his conscience. He reveals Kafka’s true thoughts and emotions but by telling him what to do or feel or think. This passage is shocking to the reader however I believe its purpose was to reveal a new side to Kafka which the reader has not seen before.
Chapters 34 and 35 on pages 351 and 356
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters many references to music such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn’s and Prince are brought up either when the characters are alone or in pairs. There are many art references as well throughout the novel from literature, music and drama. In chapter 34 Hoshino becomes infatuated by one of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio and ends up buying a copy. As Murakami learnt a lot about western cultures and incorporated elements of it within his books, this could reflect the Japanese society and how people were only just starting to learn about the western culture and were not exposed to it frequently. Whenever music is highlighted the characters moods, such as Hoshino, Kafka and Ms Saeki seem to show signs of interest and inspiration like they’ve never heard or seen elements of music from outside western cultures, just their own.
Chapter 34, Page 349, Paragraph 10
ReplyDelete"As Hoshino enjoyed his second cup he went back to his reflections. But I am helping Mr Nakata out. I read things for him, and I was the one who found the stone, after all. I've hardly ever noticed this before, but it feels kind of nice to be helpful to someone ... I don't regret any of it - skipping work, coming over to Shikoku. All those crazy things happening one after another."
In this passage, Hoshino reflects upon his journey with Nakata. The quote, "But I am helping Mr Nakata out. I read things for him, and I was the one who found the stone, after all." shows Hoshino reassuring himself of his worth as he reminds himself about the things he has done to help Nakata. After losing his grandfather, Hoshino lost his motivation and value in himself so Nakata has been a grandfather figure to Hoshino and being able to help Nakata has given Hoshino motivation again. This is shown in the quote, "I've hardly ever noticed before, but it feels kind of nice to be helpful to someone". The ellipsis, "..." symbolises Hoshino's train of thoughts as he gathers them and comes to conclusion that he has enjoyed the time spent helping Nakata out, "...I don't regret any of it - skipping work, coming over to Shikoku." This passage has helped the readers to see the purpose of Hoshino's character in the novel as he is essential in supporting Nakata. Furthermore, this also allows us to compare Hoshino's and Oshima's characters as they both show some similarities in their interest in music as well as their help in supporting Kafka and Nakata.
Chapter 33, page 339, paragraph 4, line 13
ReplyDelete“The people who build high, strong fences are the ones who survive the best. You deny that reality only at the risk of being driven into the wilderness yourself…”
In the following passage, Kafka has just returned to the gym only to be bombarded by Oshima about his free spirited attitude. This is seen as he chides him merely for his short responses and carrying a backpack. Oshima believes that freedom is undesirable and detrimental to individuals. This leads to his conclusion that society is a ‘wilderness’ and that those who survive are the ones that caged themselves up. This passage shows that Oshima has attempted to make sense of society and their decision to make him an outcast. In addition to this, it also reveals that Oshima has no desire to adapt to the expectations of society but has decided to live by his personal beliefs. His theory however does not align with much of modern society’s belief and Darwinism whereby those who adapt to their environment survive. This shows that Oshima takes pride in his personal convictions. Furthermore, the passage also reveals that Oshima has a caring attitude towards Kafka and is concern with his wellbeing. This is because he is able to pick up on Kafka’s engaged mind and attempts to help him. This is seen as Oshima takes the time to use an anecdote in order to reiterate his views and express his concerns. This suggests that the focus of this passage is character development for Oshima as characteristics are further developed by the author.
(Chapter 36, page 365, line 34)
ReplyDelete"Listen. This is no joke. The police are scouring the town for you. First thing this morning, they've been making the rounds of hotels and inns, questioning everyone. They've already got a description of the two of you. So once they start nosing around it's only a matter of time. The two of you stand out, let's face it. There's not a moment to lose."
We find out a few chapters back from Oshima that the police called looking for Kafka, forcing him to go into hiding back in the cabin in the mountains. Soon after, something similar happens, but to Nakata. Colonel Sander's calls Hoshino, and informs him about the police looking for him and Nakata, as this passage shows. This shows and proves that Nakata and Kafka's story and lives parallel each other - and adds to the theory that they both might be the same person in different worlds, or something similar. Another example that can prove that their lives parallel each other is the the fact that they're both traveling, and have both met people they can trust. Also the fact that Nakata killed Johnnie Walker but had to blood on him, while Kafka woke up with blood on him and no clue what happened, proves the point that they may be connected in some way.
chapter 31 page 321 'I put my arm around her
ReplyDeleteYou put your arm around her
She leans against you. And a long interval of time passes
"Did you know that I did this same thing a long time ago? Right in this same place?"
"I know," you tell her.
"How do you know that?" Miss Saeki asks, and looks into your eyes.'
This extract takes place when Miss Saeki is about to fornicate with Kafka for the second time, however whilst being completely conscious of her actions. This is because of Kafka's theory of who she was and his confession of love towards Miss Saeki's 15 year old form.
I chose this extract because of the interesting perspective the narration takes place from. The perspective originally started as the first person when following Kafka's story arc. However this later changed as when Kafka sleeps with Miss Saeki as the narration begins to refer to Kafka as "you" as opposed to he or I. It could be concluded that this was just a memory and not what is actually happening, but the fact that Miss Saeki is referred to by the way Kafka addresses her as opposed to her first name, shows that this is what is currently happening. Although the extract doesn't mention Kafka at all, the reader will be aware of the situation, as such we could say that by delving into Miss Saeki's past and re-enacting that memory, it brings up the re-occurring motif of the spirit leaving the body to carry out the will of the original host body. As such the reader feels a disconnection between Kafka and the events that are taking place due to the fact that the story temporarily doesn't acknowledge Kafka as responsible for what he is doing through the use of the change of narration. This then creates the sense that Kafka is a puppet controlled by some sort of unknown force, commanding him to do these actions as he is being dragged along, watching the conversation between himself and Miss Saeki take place from the view of an audience, because for a short amount of time we no longer hear his thoughts, meaning all of his actions during that time seem as if they are not his own.
Chapter 35 page 360-361
ReplyDelete“Its just that very quietly, bvery steadily, she’s heading towards death. Or else death is heading towards her” (line 7)
“Like a train heading towards the station?… I bet you’re thinking that Im the train”
He gently lays a hand over mine.”there re a lot of things that aren’t your fault…” (line 6-15 page 361)
I chose to write about the ending of chapter 35 because we learn more about the relationship between Kafka and Miss Saeki. Also how Oshima somehow knows that kafka is sleeping with her and tells him that she is dying and has lost the will to go on living. Kafka then grasps the idea that he is bringing about her death “like a train towards the station” but Oshima claims that he is not blaming him for this. This brings up the idea of how Kafka’s dreams are his responsibility even if he cant control them. Yet Oshima gives kafka advice to “just listen to the wind” and that his problems aren’t his fault or DNA,curses, structuralism etc but because life operates on a mechanism of forces of loss and destruction. Also how “our lives just shadows of that guiding. This is also another metaphor that Oshima uses to give Kafka advice. Here, the reader would hope for Kafka to listen to his advice since we as a reader know that Oshima is a trustable person for he knows what is good for Kafka just like how Nakata is a trustable person to Oshino or vice versa. This also in a way shows the parallels between the two stories and how we are starting to see more of them. Clearly, Kafka’s departure is the best thing he can do for now to avoid the cops and Miss Saeki therefore also avoiding complications.
“So what you’re saying is that you’re in some unreal place…… You can stay as long as you like.”
ReplyDeletePage 299 line 28
In this section, Kafka phoned Sakura because he felt like he has not been in touch with her since that night and he did not say a proper goodbye. Kafka told Sakura about not living in the “real world” and he feels like talking to Sakura makes him connect more to reality because he is in “some unreal place” and he thinks that Sakura is the only one who can drive him back to reality. Sakura upon hearing this advised Kafka to leave this place. Although she says that she should not interfere with his life but Sakura seems as though she really want Kafka to almost snap back to reality by saying that she has got a “feeling that’s the smart move.” Sakura in this section is almost persuading Kafka on what she thinks is good for him. She even told Kafka to stay in her place as long as he wants. This also relates to the fact that Sakura is persuading him and wanting him to listen to what she said. The “unreal” world in this section ties to magic realism that is also often presented throughout the novel.
Page 318
ReplyDelete“Its not the kind of passionate stormy love you find in a Puccini opera or anything. We keep careful distance from each other. We don’t get together often, but we do understand each other at a deep basic level.”
In this section Oshima and Kafka are on the way to the mountains again and Kafka asks about Oshima’s love life. Oshima describes his partner with the quote above. From this we see development of Oshima’s character and we learn more about him. The relationship Oshima describes sounds more like a friendship rather than a romantic relationship as he says they “keep careful distance” and “understand each other at a deep basic level” the word basic is used and leans more towards a friendship not a deep romantic relationship. The relationship he describes to have with his partner vey much sounds similar to the relationship he shares with Kafka. Kafka and Oshima do not get together often and seem to understand each other deeply on a basic level. Right after this quote there is sense of this deep understanding as Oshima uses a metaphor about love in which Kafka finishes of his sentence before he finishes what he is trying to describe. However it is not clear whom Oshima is referring to.
Page 340 line 28
ReplyDelete"The strength I'm looking for isn't the kind where you win or lose. I'm not after a wall that'll repel power coming from outside. What I want is the kind of strength to be able to absorb outside power, misfortune, sadness, mistakes, misunderstandings."
At this point of the story, Kafka is having conflicted feelings about Miss Saeki. We do not know if she is his mother or not and yet he is still making love to her. I chose this passage because Kafka is not sure if he can handle the truth, he does not know what truth he wants. Miss Saeki not being his mother but being his lover, or Miss Saeki actually being his mother. Not just the strength to handle the truth but also to handle the consequences for what he's done or for what he might do later on in the story. Kafka has now reached the pointed of no return with Miss Saeki, both emotionally and physically and if he does he must find the right strength to do so.
(Chapter 33/Page 340/Paragraphs 10-12)
ReplyDelete“You have to be strong to survive. Especially in my case.”
…
“Nobody’s going to help me. At least no one has until now. So I have to make it on my own. I have to get stronger – like a stray crow. That’s why I gave myself the name Kafka. That’s what Kafka means in Czech, you know – crow.”
In this passage, Kafka explains the deeper meaning behind his choice of name – Kafka – to Miss Saeki, as well as the reason why he has to be stronger. The focus of this passage is the character development of Kafka. Firstly, once again, Kafka is portrayed to be romanticizing and overestimating his situation. This can be seen from the quotes “You have to be strong. Especially in my case” and “So I have to make it on my own.” Although the pressure and fear a teenage boy would experience under circumstances such as Kafka’s is understandable, Kafka seem to think very highly of himself for being independent and responsible. In a way, I get the impression that he enjoys this independence – a kind of adulthood he has aspired for – whilst also victimizing himself for dealing with such a situation. This highlights how Kafka, no matter how much he considers himself as an independent and mature individual, is still merely an immature teenage boy. Secondly, another explanation of Kafka’s name and his self-conscience is given in this passage. Kafka here explains that a ‘crow’ is his idea of a strong individual – hence why he has named himself as ‘Kafka’ which is ‘crow’ in Czech. Through this, the readers are finally able to understand why his self-conscience has been referred to as ‘crow’ – the stronger part of himself.
Page 340 Paragraph 17
ReplyDelete"You can't use that strength as a protective wall around you. There's always going to be something stronger that can overcome your fortress. At least in theory."
"Strength itself becomes your morality"
Miss Saeki smiles. "You catch on quickly."
"The strength I'm looking for isn't the kind where you win or lose. I'm not after a wall that'll repel power coming from the outside. What I want is the kind of strength to be able to absorb that outside power, to stand up to it. The strength to quietly endure things - unfairness, misfortune, sadness, mistakes, misunderstandings."
For context, the conversation started with Miss Saeki asking about Kafka going to the gym. Kafka explains the 'strength' he is seeking on the journey of his. We know that Kafka admires Miss Saeki and so his conversations with her a most likely to be true. Miss Saeki questions Kafka, saying that his lifestyle has its boundaries. As a reader, I know Miss Saeki is 50 years old and that comes with a connotation that she is wise. The line "You catch on quickly." implies that she had the answer and was just testing Kafka. I like Miss Saeki; she brings in another perspective that differs from Oshima and Sakura. On the other hand, I'm starting to dislike Kafka because of his beliefs. He wants to achieve far more than what a 15 year old can do. And I think the further he progresses, the closer he will be to realising and questioning his actions.
"No, apart from the theory. I want you, and that goes way beyond any theory.:
ReplyDelete"You want to have sex with me?"
I nod.
(Page. 315)
During this part, Miss Saeki is talking to Kafka about his theory on Miss Saeki and his reasons for wanting her, after they talk about each others past. He talks about his father and his absurd prophecy and she talks about her departure 20 years ago. This section is where i realize, Miss Saeki is a really open minded person, after all those years (supposedly) without anyone to romanticize about and emptiness, she opens up to Kafka really easily, especially when he asks her about his prophecy, he basically explains to her how his theory involves, her being his mother and his lover. Kafka doesn't seem like a 15 year old boy, he's more mature than any other teenage boy and he tries to act like an adult or someone with a lot experience, what he tries to comprehend seems far out of his reach. Miss Saeki tells Kafka to leave the room, but he stops and holds her hair and says how he is slowly getting to the truth. Which is really weird as he makes love to a 50 year old woman he is infatuated with after seeing her spirit or ghost, all while theorizing that she is his mother.
“Great. Come with me.” Without waiting for an answer he walked briskly away down the valley.
ReplyDeleteHoshino scrambled to keep up
Page 281
This is when Hoshino first meets Colonel Sanders. I chose this quote because it amazed me how fast Hoshino would just accept to follow a man dressed up Colonel Sanders as well as not fully answering his questions. This follows the magic realism theme where unusual things are just normal to the world and the reader is just there to accept it. I started to actually like the character of Hoshino and with all the previous themes of death was slightly scared if he was to die or not. This method of not answering all the questions and just letting everything go with the flow attracts the reader as it’s our natural intuition to just learn and understand what is unknown to us, but can also annoy when it just gets stretched too far which is why there are some occasions where we are just told about how it works directly such as Nakata saying he is the cause of the raining fish and leeches.