Blog Post #2- Norwegian Wood, Impressions

I liked this book! It was an exciting contrast to Wild Sheep Chase, which was very interesting but the magic realism in it made me feel like I had to decipher Boku’s every action and description, and so throughout the novel, I was hyper-aware of everything I was reading– if that makes sense. Norwegian Wood flowed more traditionally and so I was able to lose myself in the storyline. And although the main character is from a completely distant time and place, I felt that I could relate to how he navigated growing up and becoming an independent person at university. 

I liked the discussion in class we had about the comparison of the “world of the dead” in both Sheep Chase and Norwegian Wood. And while the obscurities and differences between the “real” world and the “other” world are less obvious in Norwegian Wood, I liked the nods to mythology– the gates/fences, the eating of the food, the stillness of time, etc. While the Rat and Naoko represent different things for the protagonist, they both seem to give their friend a purpose. Without Naoko’s friendship, Toru would have little motivation– he doesn’t show a particular interest in school or making friends. When he visits each in their respective world, time seems to escape him. He feels a sense of serenity, tempting him to stay with them, however in the end the protagonist makes the transition back to the world of the living. However, in Norwegian Wood at least Toru has someone to return back to– Midori. 

The love story, although tragic and disturbing at times, was also beautiful, and although I couldn’t quite see the progression of Toru and Midori’s relationship, I liked the naivety of it and how they both care for each other in small ways. Toru cares for her sick father and Midori gives him companionship when he has little in his life. This novel had a sweet and compassionate quality that I haven’t yet seen in the other Murakami stories we’ve studied. I felt that the protagonist had much more depth in his relationship with other people. In Sheep Chase, for example, everyone around him seemed to exist for his own entertainment or pleasure, while Toru seems to make genuine connections. 

- Sarah Rosenthal