Interpreting Kafka on the Shore
A Twitter thread
Hi folks! I’ve not written in quite some time. Perhaps, this hiatus is over. Here’s the breakdown of the most thrilling book I’ve ever read. It was quite easy to read but somewhat difficult to comprehend. This is an interpretation of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. The book is pretty magical. And I’m not saying this figuratively but literally. It’s all about magic - with fishes and leeches falling from the sky, spirits changing their bodies and whatnot. Here’s a thread interpreting the book.
Interpreting Kafka on the Shore. A thread.
(1/10) -> There’s this thing in Japanese culture. They believe a lot in spirits. So, the whole book was about spirits changing their bodies.
(2/10) -> When Miss Saeki’s boyfriend died, she turned an entrance stone to meet him again. That’s when the whole trouble started. Cause of that, spirits changed bodies.
(3/10) -> The spirit of his boyfriend went inside KAFKA, and also the true spirit of Kafka obviously remained inside him. So now, Kafka had spirit of Saeki's lover and his own spirit named CROW. That's why he slept with Saeki, cause he had her lover inside of him.
(4/10) -> When Saeki's boyfriend died, half of her spirit also left the body and started wandering. That's how Kafka sees that 15 yrs old Saeki at night.
(5/10) -> Johnie Walker who turned out to be Kafka's father was struck by lightning and lost half of his spirit as well. He killed cats in order to make a flute that could get the second part of his spirit back. But later, the spirit named CROW killed his only half spirit.
(6/10) -> Nakata lost half his spirit cause of that accident on the hill. That's why he has only half the shadow of a normal person. When he kills Johny, it's not Nakata, but it's Kafka's spirit inside of Nakata who murders Johny.
(8/10) -> The place which Kafka visits in the forest is the limbo between life and death. There he met both, Miss Saeki's 50 yrs old spirit and Miss Saeki's 15 yrs old spirit. There he had to make a choice, whether to stay or go back to the real world. And he did go back.
(9/10) -> Kafka on the Shore is the boy in the painting which according to Saeki is Nakata. The painting was painted by some painter who visited Komura library. When Nakata dies, the only half spirit he had goes into Hoshina which is why he's able to talk to cats then.
(10/10) -> The main idea is described by the song which Saeki wrote. It states like think of the pendulum that moves the world, and other things. In short, trying to find the balance among bodies and this world, and find one's own meaning and reason for existence.
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