I really enjoyed the recent short stories that we have read in the past classes, but “Drive My Car" was my favorite out of them.
I thought “Drive My Car” by Murakami was a very poignant exploration of grief and its impact on a person. In Kafuku’s interaction with Misaki, it is easy to see how grief persists over time and prevents a person from moving on. In their conversations, there are times where the dialogue indicates that Kafuku is not truly open with what he is experiencing. While Kafuku and Misaki find some sort of solace in each other's company, grief reinforces how truly isolating losing someone to death can be. I really liked that Murakami included memories as a way to process grief. In the context of this story, Kafuka’s memories with his late wife is how he reflects on his past actions as well as regrets. There is an air of alienation and loneliness in this story, especially with how Kafuku feels as if there is no one in the world that understands what it feels like to lose someone so close. This is especially clear in his interactions with Takatsuki. Even though it is a bit unusual to drink with the guy that had an affair with your spouse, it is very much in line with the extent that grief dedicates one’s actions over all else.
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