brittany olson blog 4

Hello!

We have read so many short stories in the last couple of weeks that a lot of them have meshed in to one weird magical realism goo in my brain if I am being honest. I agree with some of the sentiments said in class about Murakami being a better short story writer than a novelist. My favorites so far have been Sleep and The Bakery Attack (both 1&2). I really enjoyed the first short film based on the first bakery attack. I think it sat really comfortably on the line of absurdism and reality that I think the second film was missing. The Kristen Dunst one just felt off and I am not exactly sure why, maybe the dialogue felt unnatural or a lot of the fun questions about the wife that came up during the reading fell to the side, but the vibe was definitely off. Which is a shame because I enjoyed reading the second much more than the first.

The female narration in Sleep was interesting. I had to keep reminding myself that the narrator was a woman, as going into any Murakami work, I have a predetermined image of Boku. I don't think Boku is necessarily absent from this piece though. In the description of the husband, at least his outward description before we see his actions seem like almost a replica of how people perceive Boku. Murakami paints the husband as nothing special, mundane appearance, mundane job, yet everyone likes him. That is Boku to a T in my mind. Watashi is a very relatable character. I found myself identifying the escapist aspects of reading, especially going back to books as well as finding comfort in small things such as chocolate and the solace of your old beat up car. I think Watashi also resembles Boku in some respects, as she doesn't really acknowledge the weird things that happen to her or talk to anyone about the matter. If I woke up to an old man pour water all over my feet in the middle of the night, even if it is a sleep paralysis demon or a nightmare, I would definitely wake my partner up, whether it be for comfort or just to share the absurdity of it. If I were to not sleep for an extended period of time, I would definitely ask someone about it whether I was feeling any effects from it or not. But Murakami's characters don't do that, even if they are described as a normal to a fault. 

-Brittany Olson