Murakami Haruki's Female Narratives
Japan Studies Journal (2010)
Gitte Marianne Hansen
Cambridge Universiry
Abstract
Literary analyses ofMurakami Haruki's gender representations arc ofien one-sided, concluding that his fiction mirrors Japanese patriarchy and positions female characters traditionallyasobjects for male subjecrivtties. While such criticism regarding some ofMu rakami's fiction may make a much-needed point. they arc incomplete byignori ng hisworks where main characters, protagonists. and narrators are females who act as subjects in their own worlds. Although these female subjects arc mostly not feminist-empowered characters who stand up for themselves, they arc representative of realities many women face in contemporary Japan: 'isolation: 'contradictive femini nity: and 'violence: Thispaperdrawsattention to this largelyignored group of works, categorizingthem as 'Murakami's female-narratives' in four distinct literary styles - warashi-stories, boku-srorics, third person- stories. and warashi-rachi-stores.'
I
Introduction: Categorizing Murakami's Female Narratives
Literary analyses of Murakami Haruki's gender representations often conclude that his fiction mirrorsJapanese patriarchy (Ishihara 2007: 73),with female characters traditionallyportrayed as objects formale subjectivities (Ueno, Ogura, & Tornioka1992: 2S3- 312). 1hese previous critiques of Murakami'sworksmake a point regarding some of his genderrepresentations, especially those where an older male protagonist hasrelationshipswithvery younggirls, as in Supiaoniku nokaibito (1999a) [translatedas Sputniksweetheart] and Hitsujiwomeguruboken (1982b) [translatedas A wild sheep chase] . However,these criticisms are incomplete for not rakinginto account anoften-overlooked group ofworks in his authorshipthat
portrays female subjeccivities. Although Murakami is besrknown for his first person boku(I) narrations, his laresrnovel lQ84 (2009a; 200%)[notofficially translated], where one ofrwo main characters is female. is notthe first of hisworks toportray a female main character or question issues regarding women. Beginningwith Bato Bakarakkuwa osuki? (1982a) [not officially rranslared] - later renamed Mado (200Sc)[translated as Window] - where themalenarrator recalls an encounter with a lonely housewife. Murakami has consistently authored a gtoUp ofworks that depicts the reality manywomenin Japanface. The works I am interested in here are a special gtoUp of works that create awareness of women's issues andportrays protagonists, main characters. andnarrators that arefemale. I categorize these works into fourliterarystyles:
• Watashi-stories - afemaleprotagonist uses her own voice to narrate herownstoryvia the firstperson pronoun, toatasbi (I), as in Nemuri (1989) [translated as Sleep], Kana Kuma (1990) [not officially translated], Kooriotoko(199Ia) [trans- latedas The ice man], and Midoriironokemono (199Ib) [translated as The little green monster]. In the Japanese lan- guage, tuatashi is used both by men and women, but men's usageistypically limitedtoformal or polite speech whereas women use watashi in both informal and formal situations (Miyazaki2004:271). Although some exceptions exist, male protagonists in Murakami's worksusually use boku (I) and not uutasbi (I) whenthey reveal their personalstories,and
H ANSEN / MURAKAMI H ARUKI'S FEMALE N ARRATIVES 231
breaking rhis'rule' often addsaninteresring qualiryof uncer- tainty or mystery to thecharacters.' • Boku-srories - usingtheexclusive male first person pronoun, boku (I). a male narraror rerells a female main character's storyas it was told to him. as in Bdto Bakarakku wa osuku/ Mado (1982a/2005c) [rranslated as Window]. Takushii ni nottaotoko(1984)[nor officially translated], and Ridiihozen (l985a) [Lederhosen]. • Third person-stories - a th ird-person narrato r narrates the story of a mainfemale character, as in Tairando (I 999b) [Thailand], Hanarei bei(2005b) [translated asHanalei bay]. Shinagawa-saru (2005d) [translatedasA shinagawamonkey]. and mosrrecently in lQ84 (2009a; 2009b) [notofficially translated]. • Watashi-tachi-stories - rheunusual use ofthe pluralpro- noun watashi-tachi (we) in A/utddiiku (2004) [translated as After dark].
This diverse group ofMurakami works.consisting ofboth short storiesandnovels. is not confined to a particular literarystyle and addresses various political,social. and personal issues that women in contemporaryJapanese society face. I therefore suggest using the term 'Murakami Harukis female narratives' to broadly categorize this group of works andmy aim here is to firstlyshowthatthis group of works exists and secondly demonstrate how it connects to the 'femaleexperience' in contemporary Japanvia three themes: 'housewife isolation:'contemporaryfemininity' and 'women and violence"
2Theuscofuiatashi bya malenarratorisseen inDokodearesoregamirsuiarisona bashode,maskingthe narrator'ssexuntilwearcinformedhe hasa beard (Murakami 2005a : 100). In Sekai noowari tohadoboirudo uiandarando (1985b),where both boku and watashiappear,eachfirst-personpronoun expressesone:side ofthesame male protagonist - his outer world (watashi) and his inner world (boku) [Kate 1996b:200.201), and their relationship is that ofalter egos(Napier 1996: 212). 1 All analyses are based on theoriginalJapanese worksandmaynot correspond with any existingtranslations.
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Housewife isolation - women behindwindows
Murakami's attention to the isolated and lonely lives of housewives isalready prominent in rhe early1980sinhis boku-story Bato Bakarakkuwaosuki?IMado, where the male narrator recallsa visitten years earlier co a housewife he tutored throughwritten correspondence while attending university. At the time, bokumerely sawthisas an opportunityto earn some goodpocket money. but now, in histhirties. he becomes reflective. Hehasforgottentheexact
windowand building. butevery timeheseesthemanyuniformrows ofwindows fromthe Odakyu line, he thinksthat every window could be hers (Murakami 2005c: 260),indicating his burgeoning awareness that behind eachwindow is a woman living an equally lonelyandisolated life. The phrase 'behind a window' is reminiscent ofglobal feminist expressions describing howwomenlive napped on the 'inside' lookingour into a world that theycannot take parr in. Forexample, in the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman'sshort story The YellowWallpaper (1892), thenarratorsees the world through thebarredwindows of herroom. Another exampleis Indefa: Europeiskekoindershistoricbeiystvedkildetekster(Damsholt1999) [Inside: European women's history asexposedthrough source material], a Danish anthologyofEuropean women's history from theGreekand Romanempirestotheendof the20stcentury based letters. journals. teaching material. interviews.among others, the contributing feministhistorians deliberatelychose a tide meaning 'Inside' because theirresearch exposedhowwomenthroughout historyhaveexperiencedtheworld from inside the home(Darnsholr 1999:7). This 'behind a window' image is frequentandrecurrent throughoutMurakami's female narrative-works depicting housewives. For example,in Nemuri, where the watashi narrator goes without sleep for seventeendays and literally'opensher eyes' to the fact that she is trapped in a rote lifededicated to servingthe needs ofherfamily, toatashi repeatedly referstoa tree 'outside the window' (Murakami1989: 155, 158). Likewise in Midori iro no kemono isolation isexpressed when the housewife narrator, alone
HANSEN / MURAKAMI H ARUKI'S FEMALE NARRATIVES 233
as usual afier her husband has lefiforwork, sirs on a chair by rhe window looking our inro rhe gardenrhroughthe gapinthecurtain (Murakami1991b: 30). And in Kooriotoko,when u/atasbi is trapped intheSouth Pole withhericeman husband,she cannot even look out of the window toviewthe scenerybecause of the obscuring clouds and ice (Murakami 1991a: 114). Theconfinement ofcharactersbehind windows as they look OUt
intothe worldis not limited to Murakami'sfemale narrative-works. Forexample,in Hitsujiwo meguru boken, the narrator is frequently depicted behindornearwindows,givingthe impressionheisisolated ordetachedfrom society,ashasofien been arguedabour Murakami's charactersingeneral (Karo 1996). However, considering that the traditional women's role is confined to the household. whenever
these charactersarc women, the'behind a window' imageryadds a feminist or political facet to theirdetachment. This attention to housewife lonelinessandisolation is underscored by Murakami's decisiontochangethe title ofBato Bakarakku wa osukir [Doyou like Burt Bacharachj] to Mado [Window]. None of the housewives in the watashi-srories Nemuri, Midori irono kemono. or Koori otoko manage to escapefrom confinement behindthefamilywindow.The storiesend inamore depressed mood than they stan with because. throughtheirown narrations, these
housewives discoverthat they want 'out'but they also realize they are unable to do so due to social obligations andnorms. However, examples offemalecharactersdivorcingtheirhusbandsandmoving on to new livesalso exist inMurakami's femalc narrative-works, amongthem Takushii ni notta otoko, Riddhozen, and Tairando. On onelevel,these worksleavethe reader feelingoptimistic and hopefulcomparedto Nemuri,Kooriotoko,and Midoriironokemono because these women'sworldsarc not confined to tinyspaces behind windows. Forexample, in Takushii ni notta otoko the main character used to work as an art buyer in N ew York, in Ridiihozen the mother travels to Germany,andin Tairandothestorytakes place in Thailand
and themaincharacter seemsto be anexperienced traveler. However, in Murakami'scomplex andusually not so black-and- white worlds,thesewomenpaya high price fortheir freedom. In
234 JAPAN STUDIES ASSOCIATIONJ O URNAL 2010
Reddhozen the daughter isemotionallytorn byher mother'sdecision to divorce.whilein Tairando the maincharacterisa doctor who manages [ 0 build a professionalcareerfollowinga rough divorce. Yet for most ofthese female characters it becomes obvious that they are copingwith unconscious issues- issuesveryoften related to how to befemale.
Contemporary femininity - contradiction, fragmentation, and self-suppression
Emotional issues concerning female identity are themarized in Shinagawa-saru, wherethefemale maincharacter strangelyforgets
her own name.To remind herself.shewearsa braceletengraved with her new name bymarriage, her maidenname inparenthesis. andher first name (Murakami 2005d:161). Here Murakami participates in the debate concerning women'srights to keep theirown surnames
after marriage; an ongoing issueinJapanesewomen's studies and equality rights (Arichi1999) In Murakami's female narrative- works, 'identity' is typically explored as a fragmentation between 'who amI'and 'whomust 1be' and the female charactersare ofien
quite aware of theirsocialposition andobligation in society. For example. watashi in Nemuri says: "Iamawife and a mother. I have responsibilities.Ihave to cook myhusband'slunch and1haveto take care ofmy child"(Murakami 1989:153). AsSasaki Hideyuki (2001) shows, alter egos andencounters with 'otherselves' are common features in Murakami's authorship,
and these elements are also used to expressthe'feeling of fragmentation' that many women feel regarding the demandsof contemporaryJapanese femininity. The 'new'role forwo men as individual consumer and worker subjects, which evolved during the fast Japanese economicgrowththroughout the I%Os and 1970s, never replaced thetraditional women's role of caretaker and self- sacrificingmother and wife. The contemporary women's role is thus an extendedtraditionalrole, resulting in a 'contradictive femin inity' becoming normative - womenmustboth be individual consumers and workers whileliving up to traditionalvalues. Attempting to navigate femininity between these contradictive roles is stressful
HANSEN/ MURAKAMI HARUKI'S FEMALE NARRATIVES 235
and many women become fragmented between the two opposing worlds and sets ofvalues(Pike & Borovoy 2004: 494). One interestingexamples of how Murakami expresses female fragmentationisseen inMidori ironokemono, whereagreen monster enters the world ofa lonely housewife. The monsterrepresents the protagonist's'otherself' due to irstelepathicabilityto read tuatashis mindandbecause watashi says the strange soundpreceding the monster's appearanceseemsto emanate from inside her own body (Murakami1991b: 33).Aware rhat the monster means her no harm, watashi nonetheless proceeds to torture it bycutting. stabbing. and burning it until it disappears. The conflictbetween the protagonist's two selvesis based on the protagonist's roleasawoman, evident when watashi says"Hey monster,youdon't know what awoman is" (Murakami 1991b:34). Midori iro no kemono endswirh a sense ofemptiness andsadness rarherrhan victory.and toatashi isleftalone in aroom rhathasquietly filled with thedarknessofnight. Theelementoffearhasdissolvedinto theair, but wata,hi's depressed dark mood frombeforethemonster's appearance becomes more pronounced, leaving the impression that watashi has committed a crime rather rhanwona battle. Ironically, what toatasbi defends is the loneliest position ofall; a wait-at-home housewife,just as in BdtoBakarakku wa o,uki?/Mado.
Women and violence- silent victimsor fighting back?
Watashi's violent actsdepicted in Midori ira no kemono remind us of a growing contemporary problemamongwomen of all social groups,namely self-harm. Sincethe monsterrepresentsone oftwo 'selves: toatashi':cutting, burning,andstabbingofthismonsrerthen po rtray acts ofself-direcred violence towardstheprotagonist herself. Feelings offragmentation relatedto concradicrive femininityhave indeed been identified to beacommon motivatingfactorforwomen to engage in behaviorssuch as eating disorders and self-harm (Kate 2004; Hansen20II), and in thisshort sto ry Murakamiexposesthis highly relevant,yet allrooofi:enkept in the dark, social issue. Otherofien silenced issuesinvolvingwomen and violence arealso represented inMurakami's female narrative-works. In Afutdddku,
236 JAPAN STUDIES A SSOCIATION J O URNAL 2010
a Chinesesex-worker is beaten severely by her Japanese cusrorner becausehermenstruation begins justas they are geuing ready co do business (Murakami2004: 63). Murakami's female narrarive maincharacters andnarratorsare very awareof their vulnerability as females. Forexample,borhMadin Afutadaku and toatashi in Nemuri makesureropull abaseballcap downonrheir headsro look like a boy as rhey penerrare into rhe nighr (Murakami2004: 79: 1989: 182).Burnomarrer howmuch rhesewomen hide or run rhey cannot escape their destinyas women. In Nemuri, watashi recalls an incident when a former boyfriendcouldnorcontrolhimself (Murakami 1989: 183),giving rhe impression rhar shewasraped,or at besr assaulred.In KanaKuretn, rhe protagonist Kurera has been rapedand violaredby men from all caregories - schoolreachers, fellow students, uncles,and salesmen-and thesrory endsin an unusualmanner with Kuceranarrating herownmurder by a large man(Murakami1990: 110, 115).- Againsr rhis backdrop of physical violence towards women in Murakami's female narrative-works, JQ84 isasrrangebrearh of freshair. Thefemale maincharacter Aomames organized slaughter of abusive husbandssuggests anobjection to the silentwitness of female vicrimizarion. Readingjust a few pagesinro JQ84, ir becomes clear that Aomame is different from Murakami's other female characters. In rhe beginning of rhe srory, she symbolically freesherselffrom rhe socialnormsfor womenby rollingupherrighr mini skirrand raking off herhigh-heeled shoes(Murakami 2009a: 26-27)- rwo essential comemporaryfemale clorhing irems that, at lease symbolically, restrict women's mobility. Her mission begins wirh her crawlingdown rheemergency exirawayfrom a jammed highway where rrallic is nor moving (Murakami2009a:20). The scene where a morher firmly ignores her young daughrer's pleato go outsideafi:er seeing Aomame's escapade fromher car window (Murakami2009a: 24), suggesrs that Aomame isrhemuch-needed
"The sistersMarura and Kurera arc firstintroducedin KanoKureta. but both characters laterappearin the novelNqimakj.doriKuronikuru ( 1994-5).Thisshows that Murakami's female narrative-worksplay an important role throughout the scope ofhis authorship.
HANS EN / MURAKAMI HARUKI'S FEMALE N ARRATIVES 237
heroine that the next generation ofgirls can look co for inspiration to find emergencyescape roures from life behindwindows. However, as the novel progresses, and especially towards the end of IQ84 book II, it becomes apparent that Aomame herself is unaware of her own importance. From a feminist point-of-view, it is problematicthat book II ends with Aomame pointing agun into her own mourh, about to pull the trigger,whereasTengo, the male main character in the book, is determinedto live (Murakami 2009b).
Conclusion: Depiction of real wornerr - not empowered feminist fiction
Murakami's female narrative-works are not positive narrations of feminist empowered women who stand up for themselves and demand freedom from their female roles: watashi in Nemuri gives up trying to free herselffrom her family, watashi in Midori iro no kemono re-suppressesherown'ocher self',andKucera in KanaKureta narrates her own murder. Instead, this group of works delicately expresses how realizing 'I want out' is often not enough to make instill real change to femalelives in contempo raryJapanese society. Although Aomame is Murakami's first female character to fight violence against women in an aggressive way. 1Q84 is not the first work that deals with issues such as violence. isolation. and fragmentation that women face inJapanesesociety. On the contrary. Aomame has evolved from a consistent group of largely ignored female narrative-worksthat expose the raw realities offemale lives. Murakami's decision co create this determined. strong, and violent female character shows an intense frustrationover how women are trapped by their female roles confined to lives behindwindows.
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