Surrealism In Haruki Murarakami's Novel (Essay Sample)

Surrealism is surreal. Surrealism is a cultural movement that “developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself” (Wikipedia). The most common medium of Surrealism is art, an example of such is The Treachery of Images, by René Magritte, which is an art piece where a “pipe” is captioned with the text “Ceci n'est pas une pipe,” which is French for “This is not a pipe.” Although a strange piece of artwork, it is a prime example for surrealism. However, it is not just limited to art, instead it is open to many different mediums, one of which is literature. Surrealism in literature is “writing that goes beyond the realistic into a creative, imaginative realm that often has dreamlike qualities” (Writing Explained). Kafka on the Shore is surrealist literature. In the novel Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami utilizes surrealist imagery to establish the connection between the mind and body set-in modern-day Japan.

Murakami is not afraid to delve into absurdity in order to give his stories a deeper meaning. He describes his perspective on the world to be different than how others view it, “I am always doubtful about whether this world that I am in now is the real one. Somewhere in me, I feel there is a world that may not have been this way. It is a very eerie and scary story in a way, so I would be grateful if readers can think about why it is eerie” (Reuters). This perspective is reflected in his writing, as seen in Kafka on the Shore, as it takes place in modern day Japan, but there are many settings that show an alternate world, one where spirits and other non-earthly beings reside. This surreal world is directly mentioned in the story by Oshima, an important character in this story, "There's another world that parallels our own, and to a certain degree you're able to step into that other world and come back safely. As long as you're careful. But go past a certain point and you'll lose the path out. It’s a labyrinth" (Murakami 352). To better describe the parallel world, Murakami uses an image of a labyrinth, a complex maze seen in Greek mythology. He pairs a strange concept with a familiar image to help the reader visualize what it is Oshima is taking about, while simultaneously discussing an important setting in the story. It is eventually revealed that this parallel world contains the mind’s deepest desires and evils. The subconscious runs this alternate world, making it much more dangerous to those who desire something. While the mind has a lot of power here, the body does not, which is unlike the real world, in which balance is the key. Both the idea of surrealism and the usage of imagery is important to Murakami’s writing style because he uses them to convey the importance between the mind and body. Sometimes the mind can want something the body cannot gain.

The idea of mind and body being separated is show with Nakata, the secondary protagonist of the story. Nakata had an unfortunate incident happen to him when he was a child, where he had been pushed into a coma by a strange incident. As he describes it himself, ” "Nakata doesn't remember. It felt like I was somewhere far away, doing something else. But my head was floating and I can't remember anything. Then I came back to this world and found out I was dumb. I couldn't read or write anymore" (Murakami 254). Murakami takes the character of Nakata, a once joyous child, and makes him into an empty husk of a person. In the book, many characters feel as if they are limited to their body, but Nakata never reached the limit of his body as his mind was damaged. The soul and mind of Nakata were no more, only leaving behind his body and a minimalistic version of Nakata, “It might sound strange to put it this way, but it seemed like the real Nakata had gone off somewhere, leaving behind for a time the fleshy container, which in his absence kept all his bodily functions going at the minimum level needed to preserve itself” (Murakami 67). The author uses words such as “leaving behind for a time the fleshy container” to show the surrealist nature of the situation, while helping paint an image, though grotesque, for the reader.

Ms. Saeki is another character who’s mind and body are separated, as she is described to Kafka before interacting with her, “But Miss Saeki has a special individual wound that goes beyond the usual meaning of the term. Her soul moves in mysterious ways” (Murakami 161). As the story progresses, the reader eventually discovers that Saeki had attempted to bring back her dead lover, leaving her stuck in time. Her soul had basically been stripped of life, all she had were memories and the need, not the want, to live. She herself accepts that her life is not even a life, “My life ended at age twenty. Since then it's been merely a series of endless reminiscences, a dark, winding corridor leading nowhere. Nevertheless, I had to live it, surviving each empty day, seeing each day off still empty” (Murakami 392). Murakami’s use of imagery paired with the surrealist aspect of the situation, with her soul essentially being sucked out of her, gives the idea of how the mind affects the body. Between Nakata and Saeki, both are characters that have lost their soul and mind, but they both are forced to live with it. When the mind has no purpose, neither does the body, so they are forced to live with no regard to their own desires or thoughts. The surrealist images used help dictate the idea that Murakami is trying to tell the reader.

Kafka, the titular character, is different than the other two characters. He is not someone who has an empty shell of a body. Instead, he is someone who has a body that is limited to his mind. Kafka works out to keep himself in peak physical form just so his body feels more complacent to his mind It goes as far as Kafka having a counterpart known as Crow, who serves as a metaphysical representation of Kafka’s subconscious. Crow describes Kafka harshly, “Sometimes fate is like a sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change directions but the sandstorm chases you… Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you” (Murakami 5). Early on in the story, Murakami uses the imagery of the sandstorm to discuss the messiness of Kafka’s mind. Although Kafka is at the best he could be at physically, he still cannot make up for the lack of mental stability, which causes many problems as he goes. Kafka dreams of himself in a sandstorm. Throughout the story, Kafka searches for his mother and sister to clear his mind, only to cause more problems. It is not until the very end of the story where he finally clears up everything, “I'm standing alone in the middle of a horrific sandstorm. I can't move, and can't even see my fingertips anymore… The spell is broken, and I'm in one piece again. Warm blood returns to my body. The blood she gave me, the last drops of blood she had. The next instant I'm facing forward and following the soldiers” (Murakami 444). Murakami uses a callback to the original analogy of standing in the sandstorm, but now Kafka has the advantage of feeling comfort in his body. For once, his mind is complacent with his body, and now he can continue on with his life. Kafka’s growth as a character is shown through the surrealistic imagery, which is tied to the idea of the relationship between the mind and body.

In the novel, Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami uses his ability to create surreal imagery and utilizes it to explain the connection between the mind and body. The connection between the mind and body is a unique one, as any unbalance can bring danger to any world. Murakami uses different characters to show the unbalance of the connection between the mind and body. Nakata is a character who loses his mind and soul, with only a body with little purpose. Saeki is a character who sacrifices her soul, her body fine, but she herself is barely living. Kafka, the last character, has a stable body, but has a mind that is not balanced, leaving to more chaos. Murakami uses surrealistic imagery to capture the connection between mind and body.