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A Study on the Linkage between Five Strange Tales From Tokyo and Commitment －The Commitment Methodology via the aspect of “The Married”－

  • Journal of Japanese Culture
  • 2019, (81), pp.269-288
  • DOI : 10.21481/jbunka..81.201905.269
  • Publisher : The Japanese Culture Association Of Korea (Jcak)
  • Research Area : Humanities > Japanese Language and Literature
  • Received : April 12, 2019
  • Accepted : May 7, 2019
  • Published : May 31, 2019

LEE HYE-IN 1

1충남대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In this paper, three main types of characters(housewives in shopping centers, middle-aged men who are considered missing, and women who have lost their names) from Five Strange Tales From Tokyo are examined in relation to their problems.　On the surface, they are living usual lives, but within themselves they carry troubles that they cannot share even with their family members, with whom they are most familiar. In addition, their endings share a common feature in that they return to their original realities, without outwardly expressing that they have overcome their own problems or created a new life for themselves. Therefore, this work has been regarded as having little relevance to the concept of “commitment,” which is an important aspect in Murakami Haruki’s work, and did not attract attention. However, the portrayals of three ordinary people appearing as main characters in this work actually act as a mirror for the readers: They are “me”, my “family”, and our “neighbors”. Since the ‘Tokyo subway sarin attack,’ which occurred in 1995, the author has noticed that all the ordinary people around him have their own stories. In particular, the inclusion of married people, who have not been a part of Haruki’s works for a long time, shows that the author’s vision has expanded to consider not only young single men in their 20s and 30s but also various people of different ages. This reflects the author’s desire to create a story that has the power to move the world by collecting small stories of various individuals. Therefore, this piece should be re-evaluated, as the work of Five Strange Tales From Tokyo is not only an interesting and bizarre story collection but also a representation of the transition that is seen in Haruki’s pursuit of commitment.

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