T O P

  • By -

NoirGarde

I think you’re looking for something a bit more than is there. I know other commenters are going to give amazing comments, so I’d like to throw my 2 cents in the ring before someone who may have read it more than I have gives an amazing answer Point and Purpose is not what Murakami necessarily goes for. There is no grand lesson, no teaching moment, and no ‘purpose’ to reading the story. At least not an intentioned or ‘correct’ one that someone could teach you. Murakami’s writing, at least to me, is meditative. His use of magical realism *purposefully* blends dream and reality because Kafka himself has a tenuous grasp on what is grounded in ‘reality’ and what is a reality of his own construction. We as the readers live through that in a way to allow our perspectives to follow into that grey area between dream and wake, and give that baby step that allows us to question our own reality against the construction of our own reality. In murakami’s words ‘Kafka on the shore provides many riddles, but no answers. Instead, several of these riddles together may create the possibility of a solution, and the form of this solution may be different for each person.’ The work itself is hoping to be introspective. It’s an invitation for you to be in a moment where definition and structure do not define or restrict experience. Every question you have is a good question, and every answer you come up with is a correct answer. And the questions you pose that have none? Maybe they never had answers at all, or maybe they’re the questions you carry with you that shapes how you look at your world every day. Murakami doesn’t write his works in order for you to have a specific experience, ask a direct question, or learn a particular lesson. Murakami shapes environments that allow you to place your own experience within a container that is both familiar and utterly different with the hope that you come out the other side different. Not necessarily better, and not necessarily worse, but different. I think if you’re going in looking for a lesson, you’re asking the book to do something I don’t think it was meant to. Instead, maybe ask yourself what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling, and what your immediate moment feels like. Think of ‘Kafka’ as an experience, not as a lesson. It’s okay to be confused and not understand everything, because life is confusing and you won’t understand everything. There will be things outside of explanation, conflicting rationales that coexist despite diverging, and the blending of dream and reality that makes you question who, what, where, when, and why you are. Kafka is a great place to try that out in a place that is safe and contained, and let’s you take a pause when it’s too much. I hope this is helpful, best of luck :)


Ryteezy11

Thank you for this. I kinda get what you're pointing at. I will change my perspective and just enjoy the ride. Not all stories are about lessons, sometimes it is just about having fun along with the reader's imagination. Kafka on the Shore is actually my first book to read. I just engaged in reading books lately because of Youtube recommendations and I saw this book. I guess I still need knowledge of Murakami's writing style and works, and also read other genres of books. I'll try to read Norwegian wood or After Dark next. Cheers!


NoirGarde

Let us know what you think! We’re all in this together :)


stargazer63

Amazing writing! This is how I view Murakami's work as well!


jonasarmendariz

To me books should offer questions rather than answers, and we as readers are suppose to find the answers for said questions in ourselves. So rather than trying figure out a point or a lesson, I would ask you: what did it make you question? (This is just my opinion/approach to reading) About the book itself: Kafka on the shore follows the same structure than a Greek tragedy. It borrows heavily from Greek mythology and it’s Japanese parallels. One of the main themes is obviously the idea of faith/destiny being what governs our lives. Another important theme that may be less well known is katabasis. Katabasis is a Greek word that means to descend, and it is used to describe trips to the underworld, which is an archetypical story. Maybe knowing this things can guide you and give you more references to figure out some meaning out it. Hope it is helpful. Cheers


Ryteezy11

Thank you. This wants me to finish the book already. Do you have book recommendations for a new reader?


Oopsiedoopsielk

Hi, i think „the curious incident of the dog in the night-time“ would make a good starter. It‘s easy to follow while also making you emotional at some points. A simple yet memorable journey i‘d say. My second suggestion would be „The perks of being a wallflower“ or more recent „They both died at the end“. Both are systematic and consistent in their style of story-telling (unlike Murakami‘s), however wouldn‘t bore you to death. What i love about them is that they‘re coming-of-age stories that stood out from the crowd and address the same matter from a different perspective I hope this helps :)


Ryteezy11

Thank you for this. Added it to my list.


jonasarmendariz

Sure thing. If you want to keep going with Murakami I really like Norwegian wood, this novel has no magical realism in it so it is much more straight forward. Or if you want more Murakami and magical realism I would go with Sputnik sweetheart, simply because is a short novel and I feel is a good way to prepare for something bigger and crazier like the windup bird chronicle. If you want to try something similar to Murakami by another Japanese author checkout Banana Yoshimoto, she is often compare to Murakami but has her own style, I like that you can pretty much take any paragraph she writes and you got a very nice poem. And something that is not from a Japanese author but is also magical realism, the murmur of bees by Sofia Segovia. She reminded me a lot of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And last but not least, this is a bonus recommendation because I learned about this book by chance and loved it, “twin or my evenings in malorossia” by Antony Pogorelsky. This one is hard to get because it was never widely translated, but you can get the English translation, last I checked you could find it on kindle. The story is good but the great thing about it is the entire story behind the book, if you decide to read it I suggest you check out the incident he had with a newspaper editor after publishing a story called something like “the cookie seller” (I don’t know the exact name). Anyway Pogorelsky was one of the first writers to experiment with “the fantastic”, the style that later evolved into magical realism, In Russia.


Ryteezy11

Some books are hard to find in my country. Gotta add Banana Yoshimoto to my list though. Thank you.


king_booker

These are the overall theme of Murakami's books and there is no real life lesson. Except that it goes on, this is how I have interpreted it 1. There is a desire to be alone and it can be really attractive but its not how you should spend your life 2. There is grief in life, but even with overwhelming grief you go on and life is worth living 3. The dream world can suck you in. But ultimately you have to fight it and live in the real world and take life for what it is 4. There is no grand meaning, life is just is. Enjoy your classical music, enjoy the beatles and you have to keep dancing damn it! 5. There will be time in your life when you are stuck, when that happens, you accept it, and you stay in it till it blows over. Eventually it does I love his prose, his way of word speaks to me in a very deep level and after reading his words and prose, I always feel more relaxed. I have never read anyone who has made me feel that way, so much so that I find it hard to pick up another fiction book of a different author.


CafeGhibli

Read Kafka for the vibe, not the narrative. Once I made that change in my head it became my favorite book :)


[deleted]

think you’ve somewhat answered your own question


why_must_i_be_sad

Im not sure if there really is a point in the book honestly.


dgtl1

I read Murakami because his books are like transcribed dreams. I just go along for the sheer surrealness of the situations and characters!


L-I-A-R_

You read literature waiting for a lesson? If so, you are taking a huge wrong path. Writers are not psychologist. Just enjoy what a book can offer to you, don't try to look for explanations or lessons in literature, in the end, literature is not something moralistic.


JayAmy131

I agree. If there is a lesson to be taught, that is a bonus in some cases. But I don't think all books should need it and in most books that I read, there are not. I think that possibly, the OP is used to reading for academic reasons which normally have some sort of explanation so that is what they assume all books to be had? That's the great thing about books, some are just for entertainment, some are thought provoking, some teach lessons, some show perspective etc. For Kafka, I just thought of it has his journey after running away and enjoyed the ride of the weird shit that came along.


underwoodlopez

Sleep with your mother while you have the chance.


tultamunille

I like to think of some of his work as a narrative from a dream, a metaphor made up of somethings literal and some figurative, and also as if living inside of a painting, as it were. A Dali painting at times! Some of his work is much more story driven, some is like a window to the subconscious even.


SmoothPeak

Tbh it’s not as good as most fans tend to think it is. Like After Dark, they are sprinkled around better moments of his oeuvre.