Why Magical Realism? Why so vague?

At this point in the semester, we’ve pretty much established that Murakami often writes stories that lie in the genre of magical realism. His blurring of what is conventionally real and the "other" world shrouds his stories in a cloud of intrigue and mystery. Perhaps because of this, I often find his stories delightfully confusing. There never seems to be one clear cut definition for what his books and stories try to say, and often it makes equal sense to analyze a story in completely different directions. I find myself wondering why he writes in this specific style. On the one hand, if he is simply interested in creating a magical world, then there’s no reason why he should always ground magical elements of his stories in a reality similar to ours. He can simply create a world of fantasy and let all the magic unfold. On the other hand, if he is trying to use magical elements as symbols for a larger message he wishes to deliver, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t just use plain old symbolism. Why make it magical? 

In a way, magical realism only enhances the inherent vagueness of Murakami's works. It almost seems like Murakami wants his stories to be vague. He never makes explicit references to history (except perhaps Mishima in A Wild Sheep Chase), and his characters are almost never distinguishable by social class, appearances or even arguably age. Not only is the message of his stories never clear, but also the readers are never certain about the nature of the protagonist’s reality because of magical realism. Anything could have just been a dream, actual magic, or some manifestation of Boku’s subconscious. The readers are always left slightly confused, and Murakami never seems eager to provide them with any explanations. 

On some levels, I appreciate how this consistent vagueness gives everyone the freedom to interpret his stories in their own ways. However, it also often leaves me a bit unsatisfied, as I can never seem to figure out what he is trying to say. I also felt this dissatisfaction when I read the conversation he had with Mieko Kawakami. I think I understand what he means when he says he did not write his stories with any specific ideals or messages in mind (“the isms”) and believes the difference in how he writes male versus female characters are just coincidental. However, he also never directly answers any questions throughout this interview on why exactly are his characters the way they are. According to him, it seems like his characters just appeared to him that way. But why? Is it really that so much of what he writes is truly unintentional? Maybe Murakami is just vague so he never really has to engage in difficult conversations. Or maybe he is vague because he actually just writes from his raw consciousness and does not see it as his responsibility to explain its mechanisms to the readers. I don't really know, but I'm curious about what the answer is.

 

Cora