Book Blog #5

"But the most interesting part of the story is that Lady Rokujo had no inkling that she'd become a living spirit. She'd have nightmares and wake up, only to discover that her long black hair smelled like smoke. Not having any idea what as going on, she was totally confused. In fact, this smoke came from the incense the priests lit as they prayed for Lady Aoi. Completely unaware of it, she;d been flying through space and passing down the tunnel of her subconscious into Aoi's bedroom. This is one of the most uncanny and thrilling episodes in Genji. Later, when Lady Rokujo learns what she;s been doing, she regrets the sins she;s committed and shaves off her hair and renounces the world (225)."

This passage gives us an example of a spirit that is both inside and outside of the conscious body. As the reader progresses into the book questions such as; who is Kafka's family, where did they go, has he perhaps found them without knowing it? And better; is Kafka fulfilling the prophecy that his father predicted. Has or will Kafka be with his sister and mother? Not only are these questions intriguing in and of themselves but atop of all his family issues Kafka is beginning to realize the lapses in his memory are perhaps crimes he just doesn't remember. He wakes up somewhere and doesn't realize where he is, how he got there, and what he did. There 'lapses' are also happening to other characters in the story, only he becomes part of their lapses, he gets involved with these lapses.

This passage begins, just slightly, to translate by examples how these acts of his spirit moves outside of his conscious mind. They let the reader know that somehow these unexplainable incidents happening to the people in this story did in fact happen. This passage is one of the first clues to finding out one of the misteries of this book.

Book Blog #4

"You sit on the edge of the world,
I am in the crater that's no more.
Worlds without letters
Standing in the shadow of the door.

The moon shines down on the sleeping lizard,
Little fish rain down from the sky.
Outside the window there are soldiers,
steeling themselves to die.

Kafka sits in a chair by the shore,
Thinking of the pendulum that moves the worlds, it seems,
When your heart is closed,
The shadow of the unmoving Sphinx,
Becomes a knife that pieces your dreams.

The drowning girl's fingers
Search for the entrance stone, and more.
Lifting the hem of her azure dress,
She gazes-
at Kafka on the shore (227-228)."

I suppose this song foreshadows the entire book. So far a few of these things have happened; fish falling from the sky, girls in azure dresses staring at paintings. But there is also a lot that seems random still. An unmoving Sphinx? A sleeping lizard? I'm still a very confused as to how this will all fit together in the end. My best guess is that the song is telling Kafka, the main character, that he sit on the edge of the world. Eventually Kafka will sit by the sea shore, thinking about how the world moves, who is mother and sister actually are, because they left him and his father when he was much younger. This song is written by a woman that works that the library that Kafka lives at, and Kafka believes her to be his mother. I can't tell whether or not this woman could be his mother, but there really is nothing that I can be sure of with this book. The authors best quality is his ability to make the reader second guess everything they may think about the book, and what may or may not happen.

Book Blog #3

"The next day's the same. Birds wake me up a little after six. I boil some water, make a cup of tea, and have breakfast. Read on the porch, listen to music, go fill up the water pail at the stream. And I walk down the path into the woods, this time carrying my compass, glancing at it every once in a while to get a general idea of where the cabin is. I found a hatchet in the shed and use it to chop simple hatch marks on trees. I clear out some of the underbrush to make the path easier to follow.
Just like yesterday the forest dark and deep, the towering trees forming a thick wall on both sides. Something of the forest is hiding there, in the darkness between the trees, like some 3-D painting of an animal, watching my every move. But the fear that made me shudder isn't there anymore. I've make my own rules, and by following them I won't get lost. At least I hope not (136)."

There is a metaphor hidden in this passage; make your rules and live by them. Once you start following yourself there is nothing to fear. It feels like when Haruki Murakami started writing this book he didn't plan it out, he just went with it. Meaning, everything he writes he makes it seem vital to the story but so far hardly anything fits together. I'm beginning to figure out that the parts of this book that seem arbitrary are either metaphors or characterization, or both. This passage stuck out to me because teaches a lesson. Although it does get rather confusing, I find myself taking note and trying to remember everything that happens in this book because Murakami's style of writing insinuates that every part is vital to the story. It's a lot to keep track of. Murakami also has this ability to make everything he writes feel important to the story, it's up to the reader to remember it all. The imagery Murakami uses when he describes them as a wall because they are so dense, and how he allows the reader to imagine how trapped the character is in nature. So far nothing in this book makes sense. Everything seems to be random and out of place. It will be surprise to see everything come together in the end.

Book Blog #2 Kafka On The Shore

"Man alive, how'd you get all that blood all ever you? What the hell were you doing? But you don't remember a thing, do you? No wounds on you, though, that's a relief. No real pain, either - except for the throbbing in your left shoulder. So the blood's gotta be from somebody else, not you. Somebody else's blood" (71).

Kafka On The Shore is a book full of mystery. This fact becomes clear from 10 pages in. This passage is short but the mystery theme is presented clearly. This passage comes from the subconscious of the character Kafka. Unlike my blog before this one this passage is very straight forward and to the point. Kafka has woken up in the middle of a shrine realizing that he is covered in someone elses blood and his left shoulder is throbbing. Can you get any more straight forward then that? All signs lead to that he has committed a crime. There are no metaphors, similes, hidden messages. Finding prominent straight forward passages in this book seem to be rare commodity. This passage also leaves the reader asking himself; where did this blood come from, why is Murakami leading us on with such little information? It is good writing. In some ways you could call this part of the book, this passage, a mini climax. Of course, more question arise throughout the rest of the book, but this passage orientates many of those questions to come, at least the questions pertaining to Kafka. Haruki Murakami's style of writing is all about anticipation. From this point onward anticipation grows and grows which employes the reader to continue to find the answers. If writing has any trick to entertain, it is anticipation. I feel that all good novels have this elimental chicanery, and Haruki Murakami definately knows how to use this writing device to his andvantage.

Book Blog #1 - Kafka On The Shore

"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change directions but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that had nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do it give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. There's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine (page 5)."

This passage exemplifies the essence of fate. There is no way anyone can avoid it, and yes, in some ways fate is a sandstorm. It can be good, and it can be bad. This passage also exemplifies the essence of Kafka on the Shore. The book is about fate; how so many characters, throughout the world of fiction, try to avoid their given fate yet no matter what they do, no matter how the reach it, their fate will come true. After reading further into Kafka on the Shore I realize that this passage, as told from 'a boy called Crow', does a good deal of foreshadowing. The fact that fate is a constant resonates through the characters because they are all tied to one fate that will eventually, and inevitably, bring them together by the end of the book. This passage also teaches the reader about fate. Haruki Murakami's style of writing has an extreme philosophical twang in which emanates through this passage. His style leaves out mundane details that allow the reader to further the though for themselves. The character of a boy called crow parallels that of the angel and devil that sit on everyone's shoulders. The voice in the back of everyone's mind telling them what to do. This voice peaks through in this passage because the boy called Crow is telling Kafka, the main character, what fate is and how it is unavoidable. Learning the characteristics of fate it a valuable lesson for the reader of this book as well as the characters inside of it. We are all fated to something, and whatever it is we have to deal with it.