Book #2: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami: Personal Conclusion

I just read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. This novel made my brain hurts after I finished it because it made me think (something that I rarely do). It gave me many questions that I could not kick out of my head. And then, after day-long sitting and lying down while thinking, I concluded these things:

When they were on the hill picking mushrooms, the 'door' was open.  And those 16 children were ‘invited’.

Satoru Nakata. He went there, to the hidden village in the woods. He stayed there for 3 weeks, longer than the other students. It was because he was too shocked after being hit by his teacher and preferred to stay in the hidden village. He also got beaten by his parents at home. For him, living there was so much better. Finally, he came back but he left his half-soul there and lived in the real world as an ‘empty’ individual who couldn’t read and understand like others did. (It was explained that there’s no books to read. Nakata’s disability to read was connected with that explanation).

The ‘door’ opened again. This time, different person entered it.

Miss Saeki. She was extremely sad when her lover passed away. Her life ended when he died.
Then she found the ‘door’ open and entered the village. She stayed and then left her half-soul in the form of 15 years old girl, representing the happiest moment of her life. After that, she became 'empty' individual like Nakata when came back to the real-world. However, she didn’t lose her ability to read like Nakata. Maybe it’s because she was old enough when she got there and knew what she was doing. (Her ‘empty’ condition was explained by Hoshino. He said that she was polite but she wasn’t really there).

Not all people lost their half-soul and became ‘empty’ afterward. Nakata and Miss Saeki had similarity; they had disappointment in the real world. However, Kafka, Sada, and the other students, who went there as well, could get out without losing something. They had hope or reason to keep going on living.

That’s why Nakata looked for Miss Saeki as his final quest. They had similarities: they’ve been gone to the hidden village and left their half-soul there. He wanted to tell her that their time to reunite with their other half-soul was there after he opened the ‘door’ again. And maybe that’s why Nakata said that he could be normal again because he would be together again with his half-soul.

 

Colonel Sanders was there to help Nakata (through Hoshino) to open the door. He was the concept and it’s his task to make things went as it is. The existence of ‘empty’ individual like Nakata and Miss Saeki was not right, so he tried to fix it.

Johnny Walker. He was indeed Kafka’s father. He was too in love with Miss Saeki but he couldn’t really make her to love him back. Then, he learnt that Miss Saeki who became his wife was only half-soul individual. He had to find the other half. That’s why he killed cats, collected their souls, and made a recorder so he could take the half-soul of Miss Saeki. He killed himself, stayed in the limbo, wait the door to be opened to go to the hidden village (moment when he met Boy Named Crow and also the slug).
Because of his unrequited love, he also cursed his own son to be the lover of Miss Saeki.

Kafka Tamura. He’s re-incarnation of Miss Saeki’s lover.  Or maybe, Miss Saeki’s lover’ soul possessed Kafka in some level.  He went to hidden village as well but he departed before it’s too late.

Boy Named Crow. He’s Kafka’s half-soul, or, alter-ego. He still connected to Kafka (not separated like Nakata’s and Miss Saeki’s). Kafka developed ability to speak with him because he was alone since child and could only rely on himself.

And that’s all I can conclude. Whether it’s right or wrong, these conclusions reduced my curiosity and my headache.

Many questions were still unanswered. I tried to figure it out but it gave me headache (again).

Maybe, some questions should be not answered….