Commentary on Pages 54-101

"I find this book absolutely fascinating, particulaly the character development and description of surroundings.

Kafka's character is incredibly intricate, since he seems to run like clockwork in his descriptions of his activities. The reader geths the impression that he functions somewhat automatically at times, without much volition. He states the time specifically, then gives a brief description of the event or action such as when he talks about finding food. Kafka's constant reference to needing to survive almost seems to be what is restraining him from finding the freedom. His stream of thought when discussing matters of beauty, such as he find with books as he describes books, have a completely different tone. For example: 'Slowly, like a film fade-out, the real world evaporates. I'm alone, inside the world of a story. My favourite feeling in the world.' It seems like Kafka in conflicted between being limited to day-to-day function and finding freedom in his mind, free from obligation.

It surprised me how little I've heard from Crow in these last chapters. Perhaps closer Kafka comes to finding freedom, the less he has Crow picking away at his insecurities? However, I believe Crow is also to blame for Kafka finding the blood on his shirt. It's a theory, although I feel like Crow somehow took over Kafka's consciousness - Maybe a link to the other meaning of 'karase' - to kill.

I only just realised that there seems to be a range of omniscience of the speaker: Kafka has so much more details in thought process because he is limited to being a first person speaker, whereas Nakata speaks from first person omnicient as while the his plot line revolves around him, it is not told by himself. This seems to be a very deliberate choice, as it reflects the worldview of each character based on their perceptions of reality.

Oshima is a particularly interesting character, and I feel like his purpose in the story is to show someone who is somehow perfect in composure - perhaps the same as Seiko. The pencil is repeated enough to make me wonder if it has some sort of symbollic significance to the character, although I can't think what it could be. Oshima represents what Kafka wants to be: free by great knowledge, surrounded by the books he loves, and free from insecurities and the pressures of society. I feel like something has to shatter this image. In a book where a central theme is that of freedom, there can be no perfect character. I'm sure he's gay, that would at least limit his freedom by social expectations.

I wonder whether the novel in translation does much justice for Nakata's character. In Japanese, it's not too uncommon to refer to a person you are speaking to by their name directly, as he does. While it seems unnatural in the English language, it may be less unnatural if read in it's original Japanese. I may be wrong about this, but I believe refering to oneself in the first person from time to in conversation is also not entirely gramatically incorrect. As I said, I'm unsure of that particular rule, however it makes me wonder how Nakata's mental disabilities would differ in seriousness between Japanese and English. Nakata hasn't progressed all too much recently, although I found it confusing how he interacted with the mentally challenged cat, Kawamura. I would have thought he would have some more empathy when Mimi slaps Kawamura to make him make sense, however he seemed to agree with it. It seems Nakata doesn't make the connection between his own mental state and Kawamura's, despite him already acknowledging that 'Nakata's not very bright'. I should also mention what I forgot in the past chapter just before page 54 - Nakata has a 'weak shadow' according to Otsuka the cat. This almost ties in to Oshima stating that people are desitned to search for their other half. Perhaps Nakata's half he must find isn't in another person, but the part he lost when he fell asleep. While the other plot lines within the story seem as if they could be going in any direction, it seems more like Nakata is the only character with a defined goal: however I'm unsure of whether or not he will pursue it.

The Rice Bowl Incident is still quite unusual to me; its omnicient in that it has no single author, but also the most limited view point as it is more ofa report and gives no real insight into the events. Nakata is most definitely the boy who didn't wake up; but is that the only significance to the rest of the story? It seems unlikely, but I can't think what else it could be there for.

Final thought - on sexuality as portrayed in the book so far. I'm finding that sex and the themes surrounding it such as Kafka's intimacy with Sakura in the context of the novel are more shocking than the man who is having lengthy discussion with cats. Mention of sex always comes in the more unlikely of contexts, such as when Kafka contemplates the possibility of seeing his sister again, who may or may not be fondling his penis through those thoughts. The novel seems to be protraying sexuality as an awkward, uncomfortable truth, which again could tie in with the concept of freedom being limited by instinct."