Identity In A Wild Sheep Chase

1499 Words6 Pages

The value of relationships may be the difference between a meaningful and boring life. Published in 1983, the novel A Wild Sheep Chase, written by Haruki Murakami is a captivating and comedic adventure story that centers around an unnamed protagonist who struggles on his journey to find an unusual sheep with a star on its back. Highlighting the pursuit of an unattainable objective, this mystery driven story establishes the significance of self-identity. However, Murakami conveys the prominence of an aimless purpose through the protagonist's ambiguous merits of self-hood. In a way, Murakami contrasts the metaphorical meanings between names and the appellations of epithets to represent an interpersonal identity crisis.

The significance of naming …show more content…

The protagonist’s alcoholism and lack of attachment towards others affect his ability to recall events associated with intimate emotions. However, as a result, this scars his lack of judgment to those he felt a personal connection with. After the funeral of his late ex-girlfriend, his memory of the relationship with her started to fog up as “No one ever remembers her name either…Back then, there was this girl who’d sleep with anyone.” That’s her name” (Murakami 5). His behavior influences him to perceive women as seen by the “girl who’d sleep with anyone” as being identified primarily by what they can fulfill. However, the unreliableness of the narrators inconclusive information to mislead away from the protagonist's objective makes the readers feel frustrated as Murakami creates an exaggerated tone that conversely implies the existence of misogyny through the motives of an individual. Based on the interpersonal experiences with his ex-girlfriend, Murakami highlights “No one even remembers her name” following up with “That's her name” compares his lack of attachment and perception of identifying womens conduct with preconceived notions. Therefore, the representation of his ability to effectively connect with people and continue a normal life is oblivious due to his uncanny nature. With that in mind, Murukami expresses that the lack of purpose of one's identity is directly correlated to the narrator's interpersonal subjective experience. The protagonist's conversation in his bed with his new girlfriend, who is known for her ears, during the summer has taken a compulsive turn when mentioning “Honestly, all I need is you and your ears, nothing more” (Murakami 48). Clearly referring to the significance of his new girl friend to the possessive connotation of her ears changes his contrastive perspective of dating her. Yet during this moment in