Symbolism in Murakami's Work

The further we delve into the story of A Wild Sheep Chase, the more I’m starting to see the images Murakami selects as being symbolic. Specifically, I find the image of the sheep intriguing. Carrying a “star-shaped birthmark” on its back (Murakami 132), the image of a red dot in the middle of a white canvas reminds me immediately of the national flag of Japan. Although the flag’s final form was not legalized until 1999, the convention of the Japanese flag, with a white background and some form of a red sun in the middle, was established as early as the Meiji era. Connecting this with Murakami’s brief mention of Mishima’s suicide as well as the character of The Boss being a powerful, rightwing politician, it would not be a stretch to say that the sheep could serve as some symbol of Japan or the Japanese “spirit”. Someone in class offered the insight that The Sheep Professor was Mishima. This argument works well with this analysis as The Sheep Professor obsesses over the sheep and wastes away in a somewhat similar fashion to how Mishima was consumed by nationalist ideals before he committed suicide.

Considering the sheep is a breed that never existed in Japan, perhaps it represents the elusive nationalist ideals that traditionalist patriots forever try to chase. They shape their purpose to chase and embody the sheep, but their wild sheep chase just ends up being a franatic pursuit after something that leaves a host once he “outlived his usefulness” (Murakami 224). At the end of the story, Rat hangs himself in the house filled with tokens of the past so that the sheep dies within him. Perhaps Murakami is saying that, just like certain parts of our own memories, ones that we leave in the dark and only face in the dark, certain ideals should also die with the past. 

The occurrences of grape juice also seem to serve a deeper purpose in the story. As offering tea or coffee is usually the convention for the Japanese to greet their guests, it is strange how many times characters in these works are served grape juice. Grape juice in Murakami’s world often appears around developments in the story and/or a change in a character’s psyche. For instance, Boku in A Wild Sheep Chase journeys deeper into his own memories and hidden past as he departs further into the wilderness in search of his lost friend. In “Sydney Green Street”, the Sheep Professor reevaluates his deeprunning hatred for the Sheep Men when Cha-Li invites him to properly weigh the rationality of his loathing. 

Notably, Freud (and Jung) play an essential role in changing the Sheep Professor’s mind in the short story. Mentioning these western psychologists, one might also wonder if the “westerness” of grape juice holds any significance. It could be to signal the transformative impact imported western culture has had on the mind of the Japanese. In Murakami’s transcendental worlds, new, foreign ideas open windows for characters to examine their minds from newfound perspectives, which in turn allows them to gain deeper understanding of themselves. 

 

Cora Ma