Emotions

The more I read this book, the more I realize how skilled Murakami is at creating images. I previously posted about the image he attributed to the word "secrecy" and how he was able to give it more depth. On page 341, the main character says that he feels lonely and the author dedicates an entire paragraph to the description of loneliness. He says, "violent stab of loneliness," "long, sharp needles," "threatening metallic gleam of razor blades," and "roots of loneliness creeping through me." (p341) Although the first two metaphors explicitly associate loneliness to a sharp and harmful object, I prefer the last metaphor. By mention of the "roots" of this emotion, Murakami is making an allusion to nature; to me, this is all the more powerful because it implies that "loneliness" is an emotion that is always within us and that remains. For some reason, after reading this paragraph, the first image that was created in my mind was that of a snake. I imagine loneliness as a snake because it is a dangerous and sly creature who is usually hidden but when found, can be lethal.
Since the book centers essentially around the emotions of one main character, Murakami places great emphasis on the way he portrays them. For every sentiment Toru Okada has, the author dissects each and every one until every possible angle has been explored. I think that this is what makes the book so interesting because the main character, despite his somewhat atypical life, is a human being like each and every one of us, but the emotions he feels on a daily basis appear to be fascinating. Murakami's skill with similes and metaphors allows the reader to be entranced by the story and especially by the main character.