Norwegian Wood
discussion
I didn't understand the ending of this book, what happened exactly?
message 51:
by
Elisa Santos
(new)
-
rated it 3 stars
Jun 14, 2014 06:03AM
Yeah, Midori was a sunny personallity whereas Naoko was dark and depressive. Maybe that´s why Watanabe was drawn to her, despite all of the years with Naoko.
reply
|
flag
Midori is stronger than Naoko. That's why she has survived from all the loss of life. People should be strong in life in order to live and love.
This is my the very first review.
Jessica wrote: "I just didn't really get what went on right at the end, this was my first Murakami so maybe I'm just not used to his oddness. This is the part that stumped me:"Gripping the receiver, I raised my ..."
Ditto! same here.
Well, I have a couple of thoughts on this.First, in the middle of the novel Toru reminisces about Hatsumi (Nagasawa's girlfriend) - he mentions that he is interviewing a painter in Santa Fe. We can guess that he became a journalists - and probably a successful one. So he did not dwell in the same whole Naoko did.
However, I believe that he started going to the same dark place where Naoko went, and then he started waking up and calling for Miduri. Basically he is trying to get back to real life. He wakes up and realizes he is at this 'no place' where he has forgotten that real life goes on. But he definitely realizes that real life is going on as the people are passing by - coming and leaving.
I also think it is not a coincidence that he 'wakes up' after he sends Reiko away! This is him closing 'Naoko chapter' and looking forward to the future. I think he was so lost in the past and the dead, that now he realizes that he needs to look forward and catch up with real life!
If it is really an autobiography, Miduri represent his wife - the love of his life. Anyway - no matter if Miduri spends the rest of her life with him or not, he gets better eventually! That is the important thing!
Also, the starting of the book represented this deep well which no one really new where it was, but once in it there was no going out. This is what happened to Naoko. She fell in that well and she never came out - even screaming and shouting, she did not manage to receive any help as she did not call for it hard enough. At the end, we can assume that Toru is in the same well and he is calling for Miduri to help him out of this well.
Norwegian Woods was my 1st Murakami novel, and yes even I was at complete dismay at its sudden ending. I guess its more to do with Murakami writing style, personally I dont like such books where the author forgets he has his readers following him in his imagination, also it was a very depressing novel.. here is what I think of the book on whole: https://bookreviewmyway.wordpress.com...
I must confess I didn't understand much about this book, very disappointed!
Wilfred wrote: "I just finished the book and have a different interpretation to offer. I am pretty convinced this is a somewhat convoluted interpretation but I wanted to see what other readers have to think about ..." What a deep read. I think you have many excellent points here.
Still don't get it!
you read a happy ending and forget.
Dear all,From your comments I can tell you are very much personally concerned with Murakami’s novel Norwegian wood. For my master thesis I am currently (February-may, 2015) and eagerly looking for fans or admirers of particular novels under which Norwegian wood. My research focusses on contemporary reception of the Bildungsroman. Norwegian wood is often considered to be an exponent of that literary genre. At the moment I am looking for respondents, fans or admirers of Murakami’s novel. If you are willing to help due to participation in my interviews, please contact me by sending an email to: kristiandebruyne@gmail.com. Your participation will be very much appreciated and the information provided by you, will be processed with integrity. Thank you very much for your help.
Kind regards,
Kristian
1.His dead friend's former GF kills herself2. He drops out of school and becomes a bum and journeys around Japan
3. He bangs former GF's roommate a bunch
4. He goes back to Tokyo and calls the girl from his college.
i agree with maria with toru being sick.i think he's got alzheimer's, coz hes started to narrate his naoko story to preserve her memory.
by then end of the book, that's when his alzheimers starts. //
I thought perhaps Reiko was a figment of Toru's imagination, mirroring Naoko & the others who committed suicide. He was in a trance talking to himself & walking around Tokyo.That was my first guess. I can also see how the other ending interpretations fit as well. I feel like I should read it again & see if any new connections spring to mind.
I just re-read this book. It still recreated the magic as before - and just like last time, I hated the way it ended. I love open interpretations, but this time I wanted to know what happens to Watanabe. So many deaths, depression and suicides...I wished Murakami had put an end-of-sorts to his story too. And him and Reiko sleeping together - was that required? I cannot find an answer to that one either...
A Slice of the Moon wrote: "I'd rather interpret it in a positive sense. Watanabe is shown to be someone who cannot open up about his problems - even his friend Nagasawa comments on how he is secretive when it comes to his ..."
oh man. thanks for your take on this you just made me enjoy this book a whole lot more
I just finished reading the book and immediately went online to find a discussion about its ending. Afer reading some of the comments, I had a realization that instead of spiraling into the "sickness", Watanabe actually went the other way. Remember how he described living in a "swamp", not even looking up or minding other people. However, on that day at the train station, when he said goodbye to Reiko, he must have had some kind of closure. He decided to start a new life with Midori. And that's when his eyes were opened to the real world full of other people. He has been living in some sort of isolation, somewhat similar to Naoko's, even when he spent his life in the "real-world" but only in the end was he really immersed with it.This is my first Murakami and I can't believe how into it I am! The book has really smooth transitions that certain plot twists really shock you! Looking forward to more Murakami.
Sorry I' so late contributing but I was just now looking to see if I could find thaw very paragraph (end of the book) online, having long ago leant my only copy out into the ether. I always thought it was such beautiful ending. Devistating in that it makes the reader confront that very real human experience of enduring the ache that comes with ones inability to find closure in a finite world/life. The weight of it all leaves Toru I think still clinging to a time he knows he can never return to. Stylistically and thematically this story serves as a variet within the context of HM's body of fiction. NW is rare in that it lacks that relationship between perceived reality and the supernatural that makes for such compelling, haunting story telling. I think what Toru and Naoko share is this novels version of that idea. Together however awkwardly they try and make a love appear between them what they're doing is clinging to the past. It might sound a bit far fetched to come to that from catching a handjob from your dead beat friends girlfriend, but it's there I'm telling you. But even that thing they find together isn't an antidote to cure them of their poisoned past. Kizuki's ghost clings too. So there Toru is in the phone booth is presumably firmiliar surrounds but he's lost. Doesn't know who he is. After all he's more alone than ever by the end. The place that was no place. Fuck me. The line literally sucked breath from my lungs. It hurt. In the absence of peace with nothing to keep you tied down everything can lose its meaning and all of a sudden you're nowhere. You're looking out from within. Within a phone booth. In a tight, cold space soaked in florescent light. And the world outside is not yours anymore. He's calling out to Midori not Naoko because Midori is his link to the living. His chance to be with the living I think. But he's calling from a somewhere where the heavy from the past grips at him like it does and doesn't for Naoko. But man, that line. Solid gold.
I did not read through all of the comments here, but I do agree with the ones that state that the book is arranged and introduced as a flashback. However, I do think the Mobius Strip, cyclical approach makes it a more intriguing, albeit melancholy ending. I also want to mention that this book can ostensibly be viewed as an homage to the Beatles, and that the phrases and vernacular utilized in the final paragraph are eerily similar to "Nowhere Man", that was cited numerous times throughout the book. This is in addition to Toru's occasional remark that he is merely ordinary; and Reiko's comparisons between the patients, doctors, and the rest of the population. So listen to "Nowhere Man" and let me know if you agree with what I perceive to be parallels between the lyrics and the final paragraph. After all, "Isn't he a bit like you and me?"
I think in the ending Watanabe finally accepts that he is also broken. His denial of this fact through out the book can be seen by the fact he doesn't seem to understand why he always makes "broken" friends. He thinks it is just because he finds them more interesting but truely it is because he sees part of himself, a part of himself that he refuses to see. In the end he finally opens up to that fact and feels lost. I think he asking for help from Midori, but her being unable to help her shows that mental illness cannot be cured by love, but only ones own hard work.
In the book everyone who kills themselves or in Reikos case losses it, had someone who loved them but that person could not save them.
Jessica wrote: "I just didn't really get what went on right at the end, this was my first Murakami so maybe I'm just not used to his oddness. This is the part that stumped me:
"Gripping the receiver, I raised my heads and turned to see what lay beyond the phone box. Where was I now? I had no idea. No idea at all. Where was this place? All that flashed into my eyes were the countless shapes of people walking by to nowhere. Again and again I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was no place."
Jessica, there is a another earlier translation of this book by Alfred Birnbaum intended for Japanese students of English. The last line of this version is different to Rubin's ending: "I held onto the line to Midori from there in the middle of nowhere."
Now we aren't sure whether the ending takes place after Reiko leaves for Asahikawa or whether it is some eighteen years later when Toru is in Hamburg. The latter would return the story to the outer level where the novel begins, ie when Toru is 37 years of age.
Hearing Norwegian Wood in the plane triggers instability in Toru who then calls Midori for help. Jacqueline L Zuromski suggests that Midori is 'there' for Toru providing a lifeline to save his soul.
Reference: Jacqueline L Zuromski 2004-12 MA
"Gripping the receiver, I raised my heads and turned to see what lay beyond the phone box. Where was I now? I had no idea. No idea at all. Where was this place? All that flashed into my eyes were the countless shapes of people walking by to nowhere. Again and again I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was no place."
Jessica, there is a another earlier translation of this book by Alfred Birnbaum intended for Japanese students of English. The last line of this version is different to Rubin's ending: "I held onto the line to Midori from there in the middle of nowhere."
Now we aren't sure whether the ending takes place after Reiko leaves for Asahikawa or whether it is some eighteen years later when Toru is in Hamburg. The latter would return the story to the outer level where the novel begins, ie when Toru is 37 years of age.
Hearing Norwegian Wood in the plane triggers instability in Toru who then calls Midori for help. Jacqueline L Zuromski suggests that Midori is 'there' for Toru providing a lifeline to save his soul.
Reference: Jacqueline L Zuromski 2004-12 MA
I think the ending is meant to make you think. Toru is reminiscing at the beginning of the book so he isn't "sick" or the disease was passed to him from Naoko. In my opinion when Midori asks him "Where are you now?" it has a dual meaning. Where is he location wise and emotionally in their relationship. As in are you ready for us to be together fully. And that's for us to figure out. But it alludes to them being together. After Toru sleeps with Reiko, he realizes how important Midori is to him.
deleted user wrote: "Only my thoughts:When his friend kills himself the 'sickness', meaning depression and unability to cope with life, is passed on to Naoko. It hurts her on a fundamental level. She turns to the prot..."
I'd like to think the ending in a more positive light.
I didn't get the "feel" Murakami was passing on the "sickness" onto Toru, which would've felt cheap to me- something I'm not sure Murakami would've presented. Toru also seemed fine (well & alive) in the intro as he was 18 years older than he was at the end of the story. The idea of passing on a torch has some holes in it. Naoko's problems go deeper than having Kizuki, which includes the death of her sister. So who's passing the tourch? Kizuki or Naoko's sister?
She also didn't love Toru the same way Toru loves Midori- so although not related, it's not likely the same catastrophe repeated itself.
I like to think of the ending as a separate from the rest of the story.
A mini-story if you will. The point of the last part, isn't whether or not he's going to be with Midori or not; he's already chosen her.
Rather, I think the ending is a question that suddenly reached Toru. The question that we all ask ourselves. Where are we and where are we going?
In Japan, I believe this question is especially strong as their work culture is different than many countries especially the U.S. The hours are longer, and there are political games that must be played in order to move upwards. Many times younger members of the company should sacrifice their time after work to serve their bosses in non-office related work. I.E hosting office tennis matches, coordinating work drinks, and throwing dinner parties. Although this seems fine for those in the U.S, doing this is almost required for all members of the work force in order to move upwards. For members of the U.S workforce, time with our employees/employers are optional and not mandatory.
The sacrifices people make for work are often times returned with little favor. Everyone is a shapeless form moving to a direction that is seemingly going nowhere. Toru was suddenly hit with the clarity of this question, and the desperation of his situation suddenly hit him.
Midori the only person who helped Toru live through his depression with Naoko (as he said). In a desperation he calls out to Midori to bring him out again- she's the only one he has.
I believe that Midori and Toru end up together, because in the future Toru seems "put together" at least coherent.
So in any case, that's how I see it- but of course I think the ending is up for interpretation.
Andreea wrote: "The ending of this book is hiding in plain sight, it's in the first paragraph of the book, a lonely grown-up man outliving and reliving the tragic loss of his best friends."I'm glad someone caught this. I feel like everyone here is taking a "feel-good" approach to interpreting the book, but you're right, the answer is hiding in plain sight. While he may not have chosen death, like Naoko (as others are pointing out), it's clear that he didn't find life and happiness either. I believe "Norwegian Wood" (the song), the fact that The Great Gatsby is his favorite book, and the whole beginning of the book really point to this conclusion, especially when considering the fact that there's no mention of Midori in the beginning - he is alone in life.
P.S. As a side note on the style of the ending, it feels very similar to South of the Border, West of the Sun.
deleted user wrote: "Only my thoughts:When his friend kills himself the 'sickness', meaning depression and unability to cope with life, is passed on to Naoko. It hurts her on a fundamental level. She turns to the prot..."
that's a different way to look at it, but the most plausible.. but it's bleak damn :/
Thanx but I'm still unhappy with my grasp - or lack thereof - of this book!
For me I think he wasn't with Midori at last. I think this should be an open ending, and for people with different experiences they have different interpretations. When reading the story I understood Wanatabe's feelings for Naoko, and I understood his frustrations. If I were him it would be impossible to choose Midori no matter Naoko is dead or alive. It is hard to explain how his love for Naoko was important and special for him, but somehow I can feel it.(Different people will have their own opinions based on their own interpretations and experiences. That's probably one of the reasons why the author left an open ending like this.)
Troy wrote: "I read this many years ago, so I don't remember many details, but thanks for the summaries/reminders. This book was important to me. I had read "Hard Boiled Wonderland" and thought it was just in..."
I agree.
Troy wrote: "I read this many years ago, so I don't remember many details, but thanks for the summaries/reminders. This book was important to me. I had read "Hard Boiled Wonderland" and thought it was just in..."
I agree.
Did Kizuki kill himself of the inability to have sex with Naoko? Was the whole farce of Reiko sleeping with Toru about saving his life? When he came home she was waiting outside his door (must have stood there a long time). In the end was he surprised he had a future?
Hello! I have just finished the book and wanted to add my take on the ending. I agree with the opinion that Toru ended up with Midori - 'All I want in this world is you' he says. And Midori symbolises life. She says it to him literally at some point that she is a woman with blood in her veins; she also has experience with overcoming the aftermath of death and moving on with her life and not looking back too much to the dead. To me there is no doubt she symbolises life (she is all about food, sex, food, more sex - things done by the 'living people; you eat to stay alive, you eat to stay strong) and by making this phone call Toru acknowledges he needs her help, he re-affirms choosing her, choosing life, and he is ready to tell and explain her everything: 'I have a million things to talk to you about'.
At the end of the book Toru is physically at Ueno station but emotionally/mentally he does not know where he is; his entire being is torn in the aftermath of Naoko's death; he is 'at the dead centre of this place that was no place'. And he is calling out for Midori 'again and again'. I believe the whole ending can be interpreted literally and metaphorically. Over the next couple of months, even years he will be in a dark place trying to recover from losing yet another loved one to the world of the dead; he will be constantly oscillating between the world of the dead and the living ('the dead centre of the place that was no place'); thinking about his late friends and death often. But to me as long as he keeps calling out for Midori , keeps opening himself up to her - he will be slowly moving from the 'dead centre' towards the 'living centre'. He will learn how to live in parallel to death and be happy. And Midori will help him because a.)she loves him b.) he loves her and c.) she's been there more than once and she knows how to go about it. The explanation she gives him at the hospital about why she eats so much food while caring for her father is important in my view. Relatives offer sympathy while making snarky comments about her having healthy appetite in the face of death - but what use does sympathy have? None. From practical point of view, she needs food and energy to change her father's clothes, wipe his sweat (and butt probably too). She will help Toru recover - surely, with lots of sex, great food cooked by her or at some quirky cafes she always manages to find. But there will also be long soul-searching conversations between these two and eventually Toru will be allright.
One last thing I wanted to mention concerns Toru's hospital visit. Midori's father mentions a combination words to him that neither Toru nor Midori understand at the time. The words were: 'Ticket', 'Ueno Station', 'Please', 'Midori'. Midori thinks it might mean: 'Please take care of Midori'. When Toru asks her whether 'Ueno station' means anything special to her, she replies she ran away from home twice to her aunt from Ueno to Fukishima:
'My father was the one who brought me home. Came all the way to Fukushima to get me - a hundred miles! (...) Come to think of it, those were the only times my father and I had something like a good, long talk, just the two of us. (...)My father told me all kinds of stuff (...); stuff he didn't usually talk about'.
To me it's no coincidence Toru calls Midori from Ueno station. I believe the above kind of explains why but roles will be reversed. It will be Midori that will take care of Toru; she would be the one travelling 100 miles - metaphorically - to bring him 'home' to the world of the living while Toru - just like the father - will finally tell her stuff he didn't talk about before, that 'million things to talk to her about'. As far as the 'ticket' goes? I believe Midori will be his 'ticket' back 'home', back to the world of the living :)
Also I adored Midori. :)
I ended up writing a lot in the end. I loved this novel big time. It's only my fourth by Murakami but he is already one of my favourite authors.
Read again the first chapter. All the answers are there. It's like the TV game, Jeopardy.
I very much liked this book and gave it a four star rating. At the end of the first chapter, among other answers we get from questions that appear later, the last line reads something like: "Naoka never really loved me." There you go, the BIG answer.
Sandra wrote: "Hello! I have just finished the book and wanted to add my take on the ending. I agree with the opinion that Toru ended up with Midori - 'All I want in this world is you' he says. And Midori symb..."
Sandra, yes, this author is one of my favorites right now. Did you reread the first chapter? I had to, as I thought there had to be answers. And there are. I had to read "After Dark" twice in oner week to get that one, so I knew, given the way this author constructs his books, that there might be answers early on.
Greg wrote: "Read again the first chapter. All the answers are there. It's like the TV game, Jeopardy."Hi Greg,
thank you for your reply. I think you are right; the first chapter provides answers to the story as a whole.
He admits that the memory of Naoko faded; when reminiscing about the day in the meadow he can't see their faces just the scenery.
'Everything that seemed so important back then - Naoko, and the self I was then, and the world I had then: where could they all gone?'
'There is no way around it: my memory is growing ever more distant from the spot where Naoko used to stand - where my old self used to stand'.
I take these to mean he recovered from her death - hopefully with the help and love of Midori. We don't know if they are together or not and that's not something we would ever know. What we do know is that the memories of Naoko no longer bring him pain; what is more - he is slowly forgetting Naoko's face. We left him at a dramatic place of his life when he made the phone call to Midori from the station. But the beginning of the book implies he recovered; time healed the wounds; he learnt to live with death side by side; he grew up;. Unlike Naoko, he did not succumb/fall or jump into - I believe highly symbolic 'well' discussed between Naomi and Toru in the first chapter(depression? the type of depression that ends in suicide?) i
'All I knew about the well was its frightening depth. It was deep beyond measuring, and crammed full of darkness, as if all the world's darkness had been boiled down to their ultimate destiny'.
'You die in this place, little by little, all by yourself.' (depression is the loneliest of diseases).
I agree that his books should be read at least twice to better understand the hidden meanings; I might do just that :)
Again I wrote too much but spelling it out like that helps me to better understand the book. :)
Pari wrote: "I just re-read this book. It still recreated the magic as before - and just like last time, I hated the way it ended. I love open interpretations, but this time I wanted to know what happens to Wat..."Hi Pari, Watanabe left for Germany, and we know at the beginning of the book the main character takes off after him, as he finally realizes the BIG truth: Naoko never loved him. But he loved her, Reiko was just a substitute.
Sandra wrote: "Greg wrote: "Read again the first chapter. All the answers are there. It's like the TV game, Jeopardy."Hi Greg,
thank you for your reply. I think you are right; the first chapter provides answe..."
Sandra, I think he did indeed recover and follows Watanabe to Germany to start a new life.
Espen wrote: "Did Kizuki kill himself of the inability to have sex with Naoko? Was the whole farce of Reiko sleeping with Toru about saving his life? When he came home she was waiting outside his door (must have..."Espen, I think since Toru realized Naoko never loved him, we can assume that Naoko's "mental issue" was that she could never truly love anyone, not even Kizuki. He knew the truth: she didn't really love him, she couldn't. He killed himself, or rather she did. And in the end, the only thing Toru could do was to leave that life and follow Watanabe to Germany. Now about Watanabe, I don't see him as ever falling in love with anyone. Toru sees living proof that Watanabe is just fine like that, and Toru joins him in "not loving", cause to Toru, the quest for love is deadly.
Jessica wrote: "I just didn't really get what went on right at the end, this was my first Murakami so maybe I'm just not used to his oddness. This is the part that stumped me:"Gripping the receiver, I raised my ..."
The story is written in the fictional autobiography style and the first chapter makes clear that Toru is still alive, also, throughout the book, it is suggested that he did live to be at least 37 (how Nagasawa sent him a mail from Germany when Hatsumi killed herself, for example), so I think it is safe to say that Toru does not kill himself.
Murakami does this too often in most of his other books too, throughout them you'll notice the narration seems to fade into a limbo where the reader is unsure if the narrative is the character's imagination or if it is really happening, [*Spoiler Alert*] another example would be the rape of the girl in Sputnik Sweetheart.
As to the theory someone posted that there is a "sickness" running in the group that seems to be passed on from one to another, I disagree. I think all those suicides can be attributed to very different reasons - Kizuki might have been falling out of love with Naoko (which wouldn't be surprising given that they were together during their pre-pubescent years) and the only way to feel okay about leaving her would have been to kill himself. That explains why he is not depressed when Toru plays pool with him the day of.
Naoko killed herself because she didn't know about Kizuki. Combined with the death of her elder sister early on, she would have lost the two people she loved the most during her childhood times to suicide - might have created an emotional vortex of a kind that Toru tried to fill but failed.
Hatsumi, because throughout her relationship with Nagasawa, through all his assness, she held a belief that she'll change his ways one day. The realisation that she had spent too long chasing a major mistake and that while making the mistake, she had forgone better chances might have been too much. Toru lacks all of those. He has learned to be himself by combining different parts of things he loves - favorite characters, favorite people, etc. and he uses this wisdom to stay sane. With Midori, who promises to love him like no one else could, he is safe.
Andreea wrote: "The ending of this book is hiding in plain sight, it's in the first paragraph of the book, a lonely grown-up man outliving and reliving the tragic loss of his best friends."Andreea, you're exactly right. The first chapter of the book clearly tells us how the story ends. The supporting male character (the one who is very promiscuous) has taken off for Germany. The book opens with the lead male character (who I think was named Toru) joining his friend in Germany. No, he doesn't wind up with Midori. He decides that in order to live his life, in order to be happy, he has to "get out of town." As to whether he actually joins his friend and leads an equally promiscuous life also I'm not sure about. But I think that's beside the point. The point is that Toru, to be happy, leaves his past behind, literally and figuratively, and moves to a new country/culture. Just read the first chapter again, all the answers are there.
Penny wrote: "I cant believe Toru - who has been through so much - could be happy with a girl like Midori who is massively concerned with her haircut - while he is dealing with friends who are suicidal.... she i..."Penny, I agree with you completely. And Toru doesn't stay with Midori. He takes off to Germany to start his life anew. All the answers are right there in the first chapter.
Alexander wrote: "Chris wrote: "It really cut me up not knowing for sure if he got with Midori in the end, but I think that's the point. It's open to interpretation."In my honest opinion it's not. In the first tw..."
Alexander, absolutely, I agree with every thing you say. At the beginning of the book, Toru has taken flight, away from his past, literally and figuratively, to find a better life.
Awais wrote: "Toru Watanabe doesn't go to Midori, and that was the last conversation they had. The book ends with the standard Murakami ending, which leaves in thinking and deciding what could've been the end. E..."Awais, if you reread the opening chapter, you'll find all the answers.
Chris wrote: "It really cut me up not knowing for sure if he got with Midori in the end, but I think that's the point. It's open to interpretation."Chris, he didn't. If you reread the first chapter, you'll find he has taken off to Germany, he's the bird in flight from the song.
Jessica wrote: "I just didn't really get what went on right at the end, this was my first Murakami so maybe I'm just not used to his oddness. This is the part that stumped me:"Gripping the receiver, I raised my ..."
Jessica, if you read the first chapter again, you'll find all the answers.
Just finished the book. (maybe I will reread it, don't know). I also read the comments...only to find out that I might be the only one who didn't like any of the girls (except maybe Hatsumi).., and who believed that Naoko loved him. Why is everyone thinking she didn't love him? Because that's his understanding of her gestures, imposed to the reader?! Also, about Midori..that girl is shallow. Where do you see "life" inside her? She's like an annoying wrapper of "life", but still a wrapper. She is probably the most depressed character.
About having sex with Reiko, totally unnecessary.
My opionion is that he didn't love either of them, Naoko or Midori. He was just a confused boy, who spoke the words, with little thought about consequences..and who enjoys self pity :) .
I liked the impression he left though, as wanting to end it sooner, like when you refuse to think about smtg you regret..made me think the author actually lived some parts of this story. for this, he's great. Also, the beginning.
but hey, maybe it's just me..and my hope that love is bigger than death, life, time.
To those suggesting that Watanabe was moving to Germany for a fresh start, remember the first paragraph of the book: "So - Germany again". This sentence implies that he had visited Germany before. He might have been visiting Nagasawa.The ending is so open-ended. I love it. I don't think we can say whether things worked out with Midori. Watanabe says, "feelings I can never know again", but I doubt that this means anything as melodramatic as "I can never love again". It's more that he can't recapture feelings from the past. He will never feel the same love for Naoko, or the same bond of friendship with Kizuki. He now feels only sadness in connection with them. In another part of the book (I'm not going to dig around for the exact quote), Watanabe says that the bond he shared with Kizuki has been lost, because Kizuki is frozen in time as a 17 year old, while Watanabe grows into a different person. Their friendship belonged to the 17 year old version of Watanabe. Anyway, my point is that the fate of Watanabe's romance with Midori is open to interpretation.
Kevin wrote: "To those suggesting that Watanabe was moving to Germany for a fresh start, remember the first paragraph of the book: "So - Germany again". This sentence implies that he had visited Germany before. ..."Kevin, you raise a great point: in the world of literature, we are divided into two groups: 1) the group who wants to find order in the general chaos of the world, especially in books and 2) the groups that can espouse order for the freedom of any specific explanation. And perhaps we can even add a third group: It seems at times I want an explanation for everything (like after the recent death of my father) and at times I know there really is no one single answer for everything, so I'm willing to close a book without too much analysis.
Andreea wrote: "me too, Midori was like a firecracker in this so gloomy book, makes it bearable"I agree...if there was anyone that I didn't like was the gloomy, wooden, lackluster, self involved, hipster wannabe Watanabe himself who basically has sex (4 times in a row - and apparently rally enjoys it) with his recently deceased girlfriend's roommate, and as soon as the roommate takes off, he calls Midori (who he treats terribly during his "fugue state") and expects her to jump right back into it with him - talk about a self-absorbed a-hole....really, I hope MIdori told him to F-off for good.
Lots of interesting replies. Murakami himself has said that you can definitely interpret the ending in a positive light, with Toru on the phone. He's chosen Midori over Naoko, someone who brings him to reality versus someone who has trouble dealing with reality. While Naoko has troubles communicating with others throughout the entire novel, Midori has almost no inhibitions and an almost child-like curiosity about the world around her. Toru choosing her kind of signifies him choosing that lifestyle as well. In an interview with John Wesley Harding, he says the following: "HM In both of those books you don’t know for sure what is going to happen. I didn’t know what was going to happen, if the endings were going to be positive or negative. You are the first person to tell me that the end of Norwegian Wood is positive.
JWH Really?
HM Most people think it’s a very sad story.
JWH Well it is a sad story, but it leaves him on the telephone, looking for a connection. And to me, that’s the thing he hasn’t been able to do for the entire book.
HM He’s looking for a clue, you know, to be socialized, or to be organized. And he’s just found a clue in the air, so he’s going to put out his hand to catch it. I think that’s the end of the story."
So, another interesting perspective in the mix. I know this thread is three years old, but I thought I'd contribute.
I have mixed feelings about most of the characters. There were moments when I liked or disliked them. But why shouldn't it read that way; they are imperfect characters. In defense of Midori: I like Midori despite her sometimes maddening behavior that others ended up disliking in her. I think that was part of the point, her flighty, openness was the opposite to the other characters. I read one post that mentioned her being obsessed with her haircut. I think the frustration was her wanting Toru to notice her, because she was already in love with him. That's why she was upset about it. And I think she was the only one really looking to the future, rather than dwelling in the past. Despite the death and hardship even she experienced.
I believe Toru did love Naoko, but I think it was a mixture of real affection and an obligation stemming from their shared loss. That's why it would never have lasted even if Naoko had not taken her own life.
I like the open ending since it fit with the rest of the book's ever present melancholy. I think Midori was coming to get Toru and find a way to move forward together. He loved her and saw a potential future instead of only focusing on a shared past with Naoko. But that's the romantic in me.
all discussions on this book
|
post a new topic
Norwegian Wood (other topics)
Books mentioned in this topic
Doors of Perception/Heaven and Hell (other topics)Norwegian Wood (other topics)
