After doing my research, I've seen many readers debate Norwegian Wood's ending. However, the symbolic details in the last chapter, clarify the message that Murakami is trying to convey. Little details made me realize that the novel's theme is Watanabe's emotional transition from "death" (Naoko) to "life" (Midori), and the use of color mirrors that perfectly. Murakami's original two-volume design reinforces this. Book 1 is red, the color of blood and Naoko's death, while Book 2 is green, symbolizing Midori (whose name literally means "green"). I'm not sure whether this is the true reasoning behind his choice of the red and green covers, but this is my hypothesis.
Even Reiko's final appearance in the final chapter has spiritual cues. Reiko's name can be associated with "霊魂" in Japanese which means spirit or ghost. Her trip to Asahikawa, which can be linked to the afterlife in Japanese folklore, suggests she may represent Naoko's spirit returning for a final goodbye. Details like her "coffin-like" bullet train ride support this interpretation.
So, Watanabe's farewell with Reiko isn't just a physical closure but is almost symbolic in a sense. The scene could be seen as Naoko's spirit bidding him farewell so he can finally choose life with Midori. In addition, this could be another interpretation of why Reiko was wearing Naoko's clothes. Thus, the abrupt cut from Reiko's departure to Watanabe's call to Midori could be considered a shift from death's hold on Watanabe to the living world, a passage from red to green.
Anika Mukherjee.
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