South of the border, west of the sun Reddit
|
I tend to titer back and forth between the idea that shes real or not, but i think ultimately it doesnt matter, as far as his wife os concerned, she is real, or the actions he's done with her is real, to the main character, and so they well go on living as if she was real, rather real as a person or simply as a real desire. Show I love that book, I don’t know if it’s so close to my heart because it was my first Murakami but it never left my mind. I still remember it so clearly because I loved the mundaness, the scenery, the heartbreak. So you can imagine I was a bit surprised when I read a more magical novel by Murakami haha. But I never put Wind Up and SB,WS together, now I really want to reread it too!!! Posted byu/[deleted]2 years ago Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. It doesn't appear in any feeds, and anyone with a direct link to it will see a message like this one. level 1 I don’t know why but it’s my favorite murakami. It’s like listening to a beautiful song level 2 It's my favorite short too. So beautiful. level 2 I couldn't agree more, it lays out so many beautiful ideas to apply to our own loves as well. level 1 Have to agree with all the comments. This is my favorite of his. level 2 It was such a fun read. I'm about a fourth of the way through Kafka on the shore now! level 1 Definitely my favourite too. The short length and a simple overarching idea just made it brilliant. level 1 South of the Border, West of the Sun is my first and favorite Murakami book :) level 1 One of my favorites. Before I retired, I taught this book to high school seniors as part of my literary analysis class curriculum for at least 15 years. It was always a hit, and the students learned how to assess a character's words and motivations better from this book than any other work of literature I taught. level 2 Wow I would have loved to have had Murakami be part of my Literary Analysis class in highschool. I can see why so much can be taught from his writing. level 1 To me it was like Norwegian Wood but with characters 20 years older or 20 years later. It's definitely one of my favorite reads from Murakami. level 2 It really is haha. Probably why I loved it so much. Although I would say SOTB,WOTS ends a bit more ambiguously than Norwegian Wood did. level 1 I think it's a super interesting book, but I must say it was quite a bit harder for me to like the protagonist in this one than in Norwegian Wood. I suppose it probably wasn't the intention for him to be super likeable but it definitely didn't grab me as much because of that. Any thoughts on the ending? I don't know that I have a bulletproof interpretation of it haha level 2 Oh Hajime is definitely much more unlikeable. He isn't really a good man, he describes flings with other women as a married man as not true affairs because he was just doing what he needed to fully love his wife, not the most stand up of moves, but I did like that we get explanations for his actions, not excuses. My personal thoughts on the ending (Spoilers ahead) are a bit odd maybe, but it's what I've settled with. I personally believe that Hajime never met Shimamoto again once he had moved. I believe that Shimamoto represents a physical manifestation for that ever lying need for change, and Hajime's drive to find that missing piece within him. If you'd like I can write into more detail why I landed there haha. level 2 I agree, Hajime becomes increasingly unlikable as the story progresses, although every time I read the novel, I can never help feeling a little sorry for him just the same, even if his faults are the result of his own shitty choices. level 1 A lovely novella indeed, I love the way Murakami explored the complexity of interpersonal relationships level 2 I'd say that's the thing that keeps me coming back to him, his ability to write relationships in a complex and believable way. level 2 It's an easy book to read start to finish for sure, it grips ya and girls you through the pages. What is the meaning of south of the border west of the sun?That there's no middle ground, either it's South of the Border (where there are possibilities) or West of the Sun (Death). It's realizing that having everything in your life is not enough, and it's up to you if you'll choose to go on with your life or end that feeling of being stuck.
What was Shimamotos secret?In his loneliness and sense of isolation, Hajime has but one true friend, a girl named Shimamoto (this is her last name; Hajime scarcely uses her first one) who is also an only child and an afflicted one. Shimamoto had polio as a child, which left her with a leg that she must drag along when she walks.
What happened to Izumi in south of the border?So Izumi resists Hajime's advances only to lose him to her cousin with whom Hajime has a passionate affair. The betrayal destroys Izumi and many years later Hajime is still haunted and disturbed by his capacity for self-centeredness and cruelty.
Who was Shimamoto?Shozo Shimamoto was born in Osaka in 1928. After attending the University of Kwansei Gakuin, he became famous as the founder of the Gutai movement in the 1950s, distinguishing himself with an action-based pictorial style, offering an Oriental response to Pollock's Abstract Expressionism and Allan Kaprow's Happenings.
|
