Kafka Tamura, the strongest 15-year-old in the world.
If you know
and are here, chances are you already know him and have read his story OR are
wanting to know about him. If it’s the latter, I would suggest stop here and go
read Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami first. I have not read other works
of Murakami yet, however, for this one I can say it is meant to be read and
interpreted with a fresh perspective without external bias.
While the
book in itself is a whole world, I would like to shift my focus and bring my
observation for the three characters I enjoyed very much:
Kafka Tamura – The conscious thinker:
We are
introduced to his world with the boy named Crow (his imaginary friend).
Growing up under his father’s menacing shadow, Kafka lived
with a constant reminder of his supposed fate - a prophecy etched into him from
childhood: that he would fall in love with his mother and sleep with his
sister.
He decides
on running away on turning 15 with his imaginary friend Crow by his side. This
is not just some rebellious fantasy, but a resolve to escape his supposed fate.
Kafka is on
a journey to free himself from this supposed fate, in this journey he meets
Sakura who is older to him and treats him as a younger brother. However, he is
instantly attracted to her and this makes him believe she is his long-lost
sister. Nevertheless, she helps him on his way and provides much needed advice.
He then
meets Oshima at the prestigious library who is perceptive of his situation and
offers him a helping hand.
Kafka
begins living and helping out in Komura Memorial Library which becomes a place
of refuge, introspection and quite transformation for Kafka gradually. Kafka
alternates between the library and Oshimas secluded cabin in the mountains to
avoid too much attention from the police.
He is
intrigued by the dense forest behind it, however, stays away from the entrance
to the forest due to Oshimas warning. When push comes to shove, he decides to
venture in the jungle, ready with necessities.
Kafka in
the middle of the jungle, fighting hard to breathe, to find his way and finally
giving up his material possessions (water canteen, ruck sack, with essential
items) symbolizing his surrender to the jungle becoming a part of it. His
journey to the edge of the world, where time dissolves into abstraction,
becomes a powerful symbol of his inner struggle against deeply buried demons.
Kafka’s
journey to the edge of the world yet being trapped within his mind,
nevertheless the awareness of the action to be taken, this moment is one of
transcendence. To hold onto your sense of self while you have only been groomed
to turn into a monster. This awareness does not erase struggle but illuminates
the path forward.
Kafka at 15 years old is an epitome of a conscious thinker, someone whose outward journey mirrors the journey within, a quite determination of holding onto his sense of self. To recognize right from wrong, to knowingly step into what feels wrong, and still emerge on the other side with a deeper understanding of the change that is needed, this is real awareness.
Mr Hoshino – The unconscious seeker:
One of the
best character development arcs I have come across in a novel. A seemingly
aimless and shady young truck driver who for reasons even he cannot explain,
decides to help this gentle cat talking old man (Mr Nakata) on his strange
journey.
What had
begun as a random act of kindness takes Hoshino on a journey of transformation.
Hoshino who once drifted through life without direction and was an example of
unconscious living. His transformation is subtle, here Murakami’ music
sensibility is revealed when Hoshino comes across Archduke trio in a jazz café,
when he is awakened to the subtle changes within him.
Rather than
being anxious he welcomes the change in his thought, in his action, grateful
even for the awakening due to his acquaintance with Mr Nakata. He decides to
see it through to the end.
His transformation is not loud or heroic - it is subtle,
steady, and deeply human. What Nakata’s educated family could not understand,
Hoshino embraces instinctively. And even after Nakata’s passing, Hoshino
chooses to continue what they started, patiently waiting for a sign, trusting
something beyond reason.
Hoshino
symbolizes you can drift through life without direction just being alive but
not living. However, life at any given opportunity may find you. And when it
does, what matters is you grab the chance and make the most of it.
Sada (Oshima’s elder brother) – The silent
witness, Steady support:
The only
one, apart from Kafka who has experienced the forest for what it truly is, has been
to the edge of the world and returned.
A silent
yet assuring presence, who does not impose any suggestions / ideas. Instead he
provides the space to Kafka to absorb his experiences and find his way through
it. A quite friend, who after his journey to the edge of the world, facing his
demons and has found peace. He chooses to live freely, on his own terms without
explanation or intervention.
Since we do
not have a backstory for him, we can interpret his journey as once a
unconscious human who dared to break through the dense forest of his inner
demons and journey to the edge of his world coming out the other side.
The closure conundrum:
While there
are many questions remain unanswered by the end of the book, you do not feel
the need for closure. Because in life may not everything offers a closure,
instead you learn to work your way through its inconsistencies and create your own sense of
closure.
If you have
read Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami, I would love to hear your thoughts
and interpretations. The book is rich with content to be interpreted and reads
like an incomplete poem.