On the first page of the chapter entitled "What Happened in the Night," Murakami uses longer sentences to describe the sinister, almost unearthly, setting or atmosphere. Although the structure of the sentences is not much different from the short ones, these two below are much richer in literary devices -- some of which are personification, onomatopoeia, sound, visual imagery, and simile.
"The evergreen oak looked almost annoyed as it trembled in the occasional puff of the wind with an unpleasant creaking sound. The stones in the garden looked whiter and smoother than they ordinarily did, staring up at the sky impassively like the faces of dead people" (355).
The setting here is creepily eerie, like in a nightmare where one observes, unable to move. The oak is personified as "annoyed," giving it a human trait. The word "creaking" could be onomatopoeia, standing out in the silence of nighttime. It is as if wandering through a graveyard, with stones taking the shape of white long gone faces, the smoothness and whiteness reminding one of bones. They are personified as "staring," having no emotions at all, appearing apathetic. Then there is not to forget the wind, which brings about nocturnal noises.
The reader is very much drawn into this setting because it is so vivid and though surreal, weirdly familiar; in the dark anything is possible to take shape. In addition, I noticed that giving animate objects human traits also stirs ones imagination and endows the scene with a sense of being overpowered by something supernatural (reinforced by the moonlight). It also foreshadows danger and fright, especially when the boy (young Cinnamon) hears the cry of the wind-up bird.
Is there a setting that you liked?
"The evergreen oak looked almost annoyed as it trembled in the occasional puff of the wind with an unpleasant creaking sound. The stones in the garden looked whiter and smoother than they ordinarily did, staring up at the sky impassively like the faces of dead people" (355).
The setting here is creepily eerie, like in a nightmare where one observes, unable to move. The oak is personified as "annoyed," giving it a human trait. The word "creaking" could be onomatopoeia, standing out in the silence of nighttime. It is as if wandering through a graveyard, with stones taking the shape of white long gone faces, the smoothness and whiteness reminding one of bones. They are personified as "staring," having no emotions at all, appearing apathetic. Then there is not to forget the wind, which brings about nocturnal noises.
The reader is very much drawn into this setting because it is so vivid and though surreal, weirdly familiar; in the dark anything is possible to take shape. In addition, I noticed that giving animate objects human traits also stirs ones imagination and endows the scene with a sense of being overpowered by something supernatural (reinforced by the moonlight). It also foreshadows danger and fright, especially when the boy (young Cinnamon) hears the cry of the wind-up bird.
Is there a setting that you liked?
YES! This is a wonderful commentary/appreciation of this spooky scene, Raphaela! The mood is unsettling - "unheimlich"... I found it very frightening. I bet you could draw it from these descriptions too! It would be a surrealist, nightmare painting/illustration don't you think?
ReplyDeleteYes, I would think so too. Light would also play an important role to outline the ghostly silhouettes in the enclosing darkness.
Delete“But even so, every now and then I would feel a violent stab of loneliness. The very water I drink, the very air I breathe, would feel like long, sharp needles. The pages of a book in my hands would take on the threatening metallic gleam of razor blades. I could hear the roots of loneliness creeping through me when the world was hushed at four o'clock in the morning.”
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about how imagination ignites at night. Especially if you're paranoid or afraid at night, some things take on the shape of other things, courtesy of your imagination of course. Another interesting point you spoke about was the structure of Harukami's writing when he described night. I also noticed how his descriptions and sentences were longer compared to day time. This could be because in the day everything is so bright and active that you focus on one thing only to have your attention taken away from another. This could explain perhaps why he would switch from one description to another. Unlike at night where he focuses on one thing and goes into in depth detail.
ReplyDeleteI loved the setting when the boy sees two men in the dark burying something in a black clothe ( a heart ) It was strangely vivid even though it was a scene that took place in the dark. Murakami does a great job in describing a disturbing night scene, he gives the reader a few descriptions that include some light in the scene and basically I could imagine two men climbing a pine tree in the dark with the moonlight shining brightly. It was really weird how he could make a night scene seem so much more creepier and dark at the same time giving the readers some descriptions of the men wearing black clothes in the dark. I cant imagine a man wearing black clothes in the dark, but Murakami helped me picture it in a brilliant way by involving the light from the moon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amir about what he said about the difference in attention and focus between day and night. Also about what Akshay said about Murakami's skill at describing the night. I think it is astonishing how Murakami manages to keep the descriptive level so high and the focus so intense throughout the book. Whether it is through change in structure to avoid being monotone or introducing new characters, he always manages to do it.
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