Questions About Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, please sign up.

Answered Questions (12)

Has anybody got any ideas about why none the characters have names? The narrator is never named, and there are the chubby girl, the librarian(s), the Gatekeeper, and others. It may be a way of making the story's themes apply universally rather than just to specific people, but the characters are described in detail, and seem too real to be just nameless, non-specific persons.

Junta I recently read a collection of his essays, 'Novelist as Profession', published in Japan in 2015 (it might be a while before it's translated into Engl…moreI recently read a collection of his essays, 'Novelist as Profession', published in Japan in 2015 (it might be a while before it's translated into English) - the 9th chapter is on characters.

Although the answers submitted to this question are all valid, there is another simple reason mentioned in that chapter (my translation):
"I was okay with nicknames like 'The Rat' or 'J', but I just couldn't set proper names for the characters. Why not? I'm not sure myself, and can only say that I was embarrassed about naming people. I'm not sure how to put it, but it seemed somewhat artificial for someone like me to be freely designating names onto people (even if they were fictional characters I created).
The first time I was able to properly name characters was in 'Norwegian Wood' (1987). So, in the first eight years before that, I was using nameless characters and writing in the first person view. Thinking about it, it seems I was limiting myself with a tedious rule, but I didn't give it a second thought then."

tl;dr this novel was published in 1985, before Norwegian Wood when he started naming characters.(less)

flag

Every time I get to a chapter about the Town I'm hit over the head by the sense that it's a giant metaphor. The Beasts, no one having shadows, Winter. But for the life of me I can't figure out what they are metaphors FOR apart from guessing at the obvious. Maybe the second half of the book will be more enlightening. Any clues/guesses?

Rion

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

What does the hard boiled part of the title refer to?

Jeanne The mad scientist explains that part of his brain surgery is to strengthen the emotional wall around the core of the brain. So like a hard boiled egg,…moreThe mad scientist explains that part of his brain surgery is to strengthen the emotional wall around the core of the brain. So like a hard boiled egg, his inner brain has been strengthened and solidified so that it can't change.(less)

flag

Anyone thinks that people in the two worlds are somehow related? I am thinking about the two librarians.

Ashley

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

this book is very confusing to me. i am on the page 182 and i don't know what the hell is going on. and i don't want leave it without finishing. so can someone please encourage me to finish this book? because i really need it. i don't know maybe later in the book story will unfold or something

Sajh No worries, both stories will unfold by the end, the role both protagonists play in their stories, how are this worlds connected, everything is explai…moreNo worries, both stories will unfold by the end, the role both protagonists play in their stories, how are this worlds connected, everything is explained at the end. So keep going!(less)

flag

Load 5 more questions