Week no. 5

In general, I liked this book. The style in which it was written is entertaining and thought-provoking. Especially the descriptions that seem so pointless, yet artistic and meaningful to the feel of the novel. They also conveyed certain emotions that were better left un-explicitly stated.
What I found frustrating about the book is its lack of point. The plot seemed pretty motivated throughout the book, but the ending seemed so abrupt and unconvincing.
The general anonymity of the characters was also intriguing. Actual names were rarely used, creating that sense of uncertainty.
I would definitely recommend this book. Even though there’s no clear moral, it’s a quick and interesting read.

Week 5

Overall I enjoyed this book; however, I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites. The book at first was very intriguing because it was so different from anything else I had read. As the book progressed, I found that it didn’t really hold my attention and I found myself rereading a lot. I didn’t like that the plot moved very slowly, even if it was slowed down by the amazing use of description by Murakami. At some points, it even took me several pages to realize that this certain event was a flashback and not in the present. Maybe I would have found this book much easier to understand if I had read the first book in this trilogy. Something that surprised me about the book was how much of it I could relate to my World History class. This includes how animals came to live in certain areas, the Meiji era and Marxist theories.
Despite the storyline somewhat lacking for me and the eventual annoyance of the main character not having a name, the book’s symbolism and unique perspective on life were definitely won me over. I would recommend this book to people for its beautiful language and insight, but with a warning of its uniqueness that has probably turned some people away.

week 5

This book was an interesting read because it flowed in a different way that I had never experienced before. The fact that it did not have names for most characters was inspiring and showed me a different path to writing. I really enjoyed this book it had a unique perspective on life that is probably less work than mine so I might need to change that.

The perspective this book took was one of the strangest ones I have ever read. This main characters descriptions of objects, people, scenes, etc. were completely different and entertaining. They seemed to foreshadow the book subtly. If I were to read this book all over again I would try to focus more on the foreshadowing aspect in order to combat the slow pace. The book was interesting but the slow pace would have been annoying if the reader did not try to analyze the book while reading.

I would recommend this book to others in the beginning of the year. I picked beginning of the year because after reading it I was prepared for another school year, at least mentally if not physically. The mindset the reader has after reading this book is philosophical. Overall it was a great book that I would suggest to a more mature audience that likes to read and is interested in Japan.

Week 5

This was a very unique and interesting book. I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but the ending left me quite confused. Murakami’s writing style is very intriguing with his many similes, unique characters and use of symbolism. This book really makes you think about the patterns of human nature and how we all relate to each other. I wonder if the wild sheep chase was symbolism for a much broader topic relating to human nature. The beginning of the book compelled me to hope that the main character would have a revelation in the end and find direction in his life, but this didn’t really happen. Though it did seem that the main character gained some self-confidence and realization in the end of the book. Staying in the house at the top of the mountain for many days seemed to help him clear his mind and his encounters with many odd characters helped him to realize something…though I am not quite sure what that was. I was very puzzled by the main character’s encounter with Rat, because, at first, I thought it was a dream, but events that occurred after that seemed to contradict this theory. Truthfully, I am not quite sure what to make of this book. I really enjoyed Murakami’s writing style, but the plot was just so weird. The beginning of the book seemed to have some promise, but the ending was so unfathomably…odd.
I would recommend this book to a friend because it was a pretty good book, and most of all, it made you think. This would be a great book for discussion because there are so many ways that you can interpret this book. Also, Murakami’s writing style makes it a quick read and the melding of reality with fiction make it very unique.

Reflections on A Wild Sheep Chase

In all honestly, I found it very difficult to get through this book. The lack of plot, and outward character relations really pushed me away at times. However, at the end of the book when the nameless girlfriend leaves, I really begin to respect the text. I saw true, honest to gosh emotion in the narrator. I was confused at the girlfriend- analyzing everything she had done the past few days to get any clues as to why she would get up and go. (Later we find out it has more to do with the Rat than anything). This moment really caught my attention- maybe for the first time in the entire book.

I saw the The lack of personal title to the characters added the effect of perplex vagueness, as impossible as that may seem. Perplex in that instead of picturing someone based on their title, we look at their actions, being much more difficult to analyze the characters throughout the novel. The only real titles we know are The Sheep Man, J, The Rat, and Sheep Professor. How vague. My overall reaction- well... the book seemed as if it had a simple plot, and then at the end it got quite complicated. I liked that, oddly enough.

I would really recommend this to a reader purely because it's such a different text then what we are used to. The characters, the plot, the culture, everything. It's an experience, rather than a read.

Post #5: Reaction

I don't quite know what to say about this book. At first, I was intrigued by it's uniqueness. The style is so different from anything I've ever read. But that got old quickly. I was soon bored by the slow pace the book seemed to be taking, and I had to force myself to keep reading. Had it not been a book I needed to finish for school, I probably would have stopped reading. That isn't to say that this book is without merit. I really like how the main character is nameless, I feel like that says so much more than any description of the character could have. I like the fact that this book was a mystery, but the path to find the answers was different from your classic mysteries.

I don't know if I would recommend this book to someone else. It wasn't a bad book, but it was nowhere near the top of my favorites list, either. It was kind of cool to read a book that is so different for what I've read before, but I didn't really enjoy it. I guess I wouldn't try to persuade someone out of reading this book, but I'm not running out to the book store to buy another book by the author, either.

Week 5 - Reaction

As a whole, this book was enjoyable.

The writing style was my favorite part. It was unique and at many times funny enough for me to smile to myself while reading. The similes were especially interesting, and the observations and theories of the main character were amusing.

The main trouble I had with this book was that I didn't feel like I totally understood it in the end. Even though the plot was adequately explained and the events leading to the climax were very straight-forward, the actually ending left me pretty much speechless. As in, I have no reaction to it nor an explanation for it.

This is the type of book where you have to be willing to accept whatever the author says, no matter how supernatural or down-right odd it is. This can be enjoyable at times and irritating at others.

I'd recommend people to read it mostly so that I could ask them what they thought it all meant.

Week Five

Welcome to Week Five, and our last week week of blogging. This week's post should be on your overall thoughts about the book. It must be a ten sentence reflection. You do not need to comment on anyone else's blog, but your post should be up here by Sunday, March 29 You should have made up any missing work by then as well.

week 4

Do you think that the main character is actually a mediocre, bland person, or a unique man who is just wrapped up in convincing himself that he is boring?

Week 4 Question

Do the character's mediocrity and the sheep mystery have any correlation? Could the mystery be some symbol for the changes in life?

Week Four Q.

What effect does the character's blandness and dispassion have on the book as a whole?

Week 4: Question

How does the main character change through the story? How does the sheep chase change/ affect him?

weel four question

I have been wondering this even before we started reading the book.

What differences would there be in the book if it was still written in Japan but by a foreigner instead of a Japanese author?

Irini=NA (not available)

Week Four

Welcome to Week Four! For this week's blog you will post a thought-provoking question that does not have only one answer. Remember that you must make 10 comments this week, not 5. Please do not leave this until the last minute, you have the whole week to get it done.

Week 4 - Question

Do you think this book is for or against mediocrity? Does the sheep represent the ultimate potential of a human being or does it show that greatness only causes suffering? Is the sheep a good force, an evil one, or neither?

week 3 literary elements

In order for me to be satisfied with my post on the literary elements in the book I scanned backwards to page 51. First off I wanted to make sure no one had the same example of my popular literary element. I chose the metaphor because it is my favorite. The reasons are that it is subtle and involves thought. Also metaphors compare two nouns in a usually more sophisticated way than similes. My example of a metaphor was n page 51, and referred to the “biznessman” as “a refined piece of bad news now hovering over her…”(51). Not only is there a metaphor but the comparison made also serves as foreshadowing. The word choice of “bad news” is the foreshadowing part that this man will bring upheaval to the company, which he doles out in doses. The metaphor between the serious man and the bad news shows the author’s intent to inform the audience that the secretary had intuition enough to know that this man would soon bring trouble, well adventure, to the firm. The ensuing action can easily be connected back to him later and this is the key phrase that promotes a revelation. At first I did not notice this foreshadowing at all, only after coming back and rereading the area around when he showed up did I notice this key phrase. The metaphor was so subtle it was easily overlooked.

Week 3--literary elements

In this novel, literary elements are quite eminent. It makes sense really. If one is to make a commentary on life (such as this book is doing), it’s almost imperative that there be literary elements to depict it adequately. For instance, to show the general feeling of bland emotion: “The rain kept falling at the same rate. From my hotel window, through the neon signs of the building next door, a hundred thousand strands of rain sped earthward through a green glow. If I looked down, the rain seemed to pour straight into one fixed point on the ground,” (119). First off, this quote describes the rain very well. I know the exact position of the main character looking out the window when the author writes how the rain fell “straight into one fixed point on the ground”. Secondly, the sheer simplicity of describing the rain fall captures our characters somewhat melancholy emotional state. The description of rain has a pretty consistent pattern of popping up whenever the main character is deep in thought, or if something serious happened.
Since scenes like these are used so often in this novel, that not only the physical state of the scene is portrayed, but the emotional connotation also allows the reader to find a duel meaning. This way the author only has to write one sentence (or paragraph) to get the message across.

Blog #3- Literary Element/ Figurative Language

While Murakami's writing is filled with figurative language, I especially noticed his imagery and similes. I know that we talked about this scene last week, but I'm going to bring it up again:

"Each row of cedars bordered on neatly mowed turf, which sloped down in banks dotted with azaleas and hydrangeas and other plants beyond my powers of identification. A flock of starlings rushed, en masse, left and right across the lawn, like the aimless migration of a sand dune." (page 80).

I think that quote speaks for itself. I can honestly picture that image perfectly. Despite the rarity of these beautiful images (as we discussed last week), they are very impressive. As for how that affects the main character, the only conclusion I've made is that we always know when a scene really strikes him, because that is when this imagery pops up. This setting was very different from what he had ever seen before, so it was described in full detail and beauty.

In that same quote was a simile, "A flock of starlings rushed, en masse, left and right across the lawn, like the aimless migration of a sand dune." (page 80). This seems to have a similar affect as the imagery, I can picture those birds perfectly. His similes occur everywhere, and they really do make you think. And they're fun. These similes may show the main character as more of a round character, as they vary from similes that show an image to many other quirky statements.

week 3

I really enjoy Murakami’s writing style and I believe that his intriguing way of writing is deeply rooted in his excellent use of figurative language. He uses many similes and lots of imagery. I would like to focus on these two elements because I find that they are what make his writing so juicy. Some examples of his great writing are:
“The car door opened and the waning light of a summer afternoon fell across my face. Thousands of cicadas were singing at a high pitch like the winding of a clockspring. There was the rich smell of earth.” (page 78)-This is one of my favorite examples of imagery and simile because when I read this I can feel myself sitting in the limo, opening the door, and experiencing the nature around me.
“Mid-thirties to forty in age, five foot ten plus in height, trimmed of every last ounce of fat, slender hands without telltale wrinkles.” (page 61)- I can picture this exact man standing before me.
These are only two examples of the many lavish sentences he writes. If you think about it, the beginning of the book actually has quite a simple plotline, but Murakami’s use of figurative language makes the book hard to put down. This story also has elements of symbolism in it. When I was reading, I found that the café seemed to resemble the main character’s old lifestyle and the wild sheep chase resembled his new experiences and change of lifestyle. The café used to be his old, boring routine, but the wild sheep chase offers many twists and turns in his life. I envy Murakami’s talented ability to use figurative language in a way that makes me feel as though I am living within the pages of the book.

Week 3-Literary Element/Figurative Language

I'm glad that I got here first, because now I can write about the most obvious figurative language that Murakami uses. I am speaking about his similes of course. Let me pull a few that made me underline them or even sometimes made me put "haha" in the margin:

"He spoke as if running a white-gloved hand over a tabletop."

"[Life] is like doughnut holes. Whether you take a doughnut hole as a blank space or as an entity unto itself is a purely metaphysical question and does not affect the taste of the doughnut one bit."

"Sitting in the limo, compared to my fifteen-year-old Volkswagen Beetle I'd bought off a friend, was as quiet as sitting at the bottom of a lake wearing earplugs."

He gets more creative than this, but these are a couple of good examples of him using similes. Although they are enjoyable to read, unexpected, and proficient at explaining whatever it is that he wants to express, I do have one bone to pick with them.

They are outlandish enough to have us, as separate people, think about them and chuckle. They pull you out of the action of the book, and make you feel like you're reading one instead. I've found that I like books that describe things in a way that you can't totally comprehend at first. I like it when the author sneaks up from behind with some sort of feeling or atmosphere through the shape and sound of a word or sentence. You don't know you're feeling it, or thinking it, until later when you considered what you just read.

It's harsh to say that his whole style is bad, and I'm not saying that. This book is enjoyable and incredibly witty, but with the outlandish similes and the even more outlandish ending... I lose a bit of respect for it.

To give another compliment though, the similes go well with the main character's personality, with all of his inane and quirky observations.

Week Three

Welcome to Week Three of the Discussion! This weeks discussion will run from Monday, March 9 to Sunday, March 15.

This week's discussion will be on figurative language and literary elements in your book. Please find an example of these in your book and POST a 10-sentence comment on it. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, please don't wait until the last minute.

Week 2: Setting

Murakami takes a great deal of time to describe the setting in this book. Although the descriptions are in the same unique point of view as the rest of the main character’s thoughts, they are full of imagery and add an entirely different level to this book. I usually can easily picture the setting in my head, but the description of the boss’s house always looses me. This could be because I have no idea what a “Meiji-era Western-style manor” (81) looks like. I think that the reader needs some background information on Japanese culture to understand every aspect of this book and get the most out of it; however the book still makes sense without that knowledge.
The book’s setting doesn’t seem to influence the story very much. I feel that the book could take place in any modern city and at any time period during or after the 1970s. I think that the author only needs the fast-paced big city life to contrast his main character’s personality and view on life. I also think that the time period has to be fairly modern so that the reader gets the sense that the main character is stuck in the past and how cities change. No events so far in the book seem to show that the story must take place in Japan during the 1970s.

question

What chapter is everyone in? Did everyone finish?

Week 2 Setting

The setting is obviously a modern day Japan. Even though it is obvious the city in Japan never made an impression on me. Even though I knew it could not possibly be Kyoto which is very traditional, I never though of the city. Maybe I just thought is was Tokyo as an obvious statement that I just forgot about it after reading it. Even after mentions of the places in Tokyo that I knew of such as Aoyama and others the thought that it was in Tokyo just passed me by.
It was fine that I did not remember because the setting itself is not a very important aspect of this book. It seems to be in the background just to use as a backdrop when applicable. It seems that while reading people get the impression it can’t be anywhere else but Tokyo without actually having a need to notice that it is actually Tokyo.
The main part of the story is the psychological point of view and how each character can be analyzed. Another main part is obviously the adventure of the sheep chase. In both cases the setting can be changed in one’s mind between each reading. At some point I was sure it was in Hokkaido the snowy north of Japan. I am sure I had some reason…

Irini

Week 2. Setting.

In this book, the narrator is of course describing the setting. The setting is in an urban city of Japan. One scene particularly jumped out at me while I was reading and thinking about scenery. In this scene, the narrator often personifies nature and objects around him, which I find very interesting. It allows the reader to understand the movement of the object verses just the way it looks. When the narrator is pulling up to the bosses huge house, he explains to the reader, "Behind us was the gravel road which we'd come on, trailing away in an all-too-picturesque course of twists and turns to the front gate off in the distance" (80). I really imagine this painting of a nice gravel road disappearing back to the gate. Then, I would turn around and see the house, "a painfully solitary building," (81) standing over me. Not only do these descriptions create a visual, but I believe is tells us a lot about what this mysterious "bossman" is about.

The narrator allows the reader to have insight into what he sees, and the thoughts that are going through his mind. Sometimes I wonder if a person could really think all of this in one setting, but then I remember that it is a book, and without these elongated descriptions, we would be lost as to the setting.

P.S.
Sorry for posting so late, guys. I was on an orchestra trip Thursday until about 6. Hope I didn't inconvienence anyone too much. Thanks!

week 2--setting

Murakami set this book in Japan during the 1970s. Before this assignment, however, I hadn’t given much thought to the setting. Since it hasn’t played a big role in the plot, it just seems like it’s a random backdrop for our mediocre character to…live in. Although the further into the book I get, the main character does start to describe the landscape and other aspects of the setting more and more, for example, the ocean. He says several times how the surf area has been filled with landfill for more apartment building space. Why this is relevant? Maybe it’s to show the passing of time and how much things change. The setting could be more of a tool to show how our mediocre friend is wrapped up in his problems. Enough so that he doesn’t realize that there’s a world still moving beyond his boring job and women problems. Or it could be a coincidence. Either way, there’s really no significant reason for it being in Japan. It could have been written to take place somewhere else and it would mean the same thing to the reader.

Week 2: Setting

Technically, this story is taking place Tokyo. A big bustling city, the capital of Japan. Yet as I was reading, i imagined... I'm not sure exactly what, but a calm place. A place that looked like a city, but that was practically void of other people. This may have to do with the character's solitary lifestyle. I guess I can picture the setting, but not accurately.

The time period of this story is the 1970s. Despite this being thirty-some years ago, the exact time doesn't seem to matter. I imagine the time period as "modern", it makes no difference if it is now or 30 years ago. Really, not much knowledge about the time period is necessary to understand what is going on, if any.

The location of Tokyo/ Japan isn't imperative to the story. While of course there are some aspects that would have to be changed, the general story line could take place somewhere else. But not the United States. I guess I don't know exactly where else the story could take place, but many places in Europe or Asia would probably fit the story line just fine.

week 2-setting

This book takes place in the alive, modern day Tokyo. Even though the setting is in an energetic, hip city, bustling with people, the main character seems to be secluded form all this action. He chooses to spend time in his empty apartment, blah office building, and at the café down the street. I think that the quietly dead café resembles the main characters life in a way, because they are both reserved and undisturbed, yet they have an intriguing edginess about them. Both have undiscovered talents and ability that just haven’t been unleashed. The main character spends most of his time in these sad and unenergetic places and when he finally ventures out in the limo and travels to the mansion, he is awestruck. Whole pages are used to describe how mesmerized he is with the scenery and the monstrosity of a house. This portion of the book shows how secluded he really is, considering that he is a grown man and he describes this mansion experience as though he was a five year old going to the zoo for the first time, amazed by the wonders this world has to offer. This main character lives a very odd life and the setting of the book seems to fit right in with his personality. His thoughts and actions seem to be stifled by this lifeless setting, yet he almost seems to enjoy the boredom of his lifestyle. If given the opportunity to move and to finally find a sense of direction in his life, do you think he would take it?

Week 2 - Setting

To be literal and boring, this book takes place in Japan in 1978. However, Murakami takes a great deal of time describing the setting and the significance of Japanese history, so this topic is ripe for discussion.

In this era in Japan, the cities are growing and the country is declining. There is a certain sadness in this which is discovered towards the end of the book as a small town is visited. The character muses as to how and entire town can die, and it's an interesting concept indeed.

However, the book opens up amidst the bustling Tokyo. The reader doesn't feel immersed in the crowd though. Instead, our character remains on the fringes of human contact. In fact, while driving around in The Limo, the total stillness and silence within works as a symbol of the way our character is living. Even among the life of a full city, he is isolated and there is a staleness about his surroundings.

I feel that as the book develops, he spends more and more time describing the setting. More time going into the history of places and discussing the name of cities. It's interesting to me that he is so eager to talk about the names of cities while he refuses to divulge the names of characters. Returning to the line of thought with a town dying; does Murakami believe that places are more unique and important than people?

Lastly, this is definitely a story of Japan. It wouldn't work anywhere else because of the intertwining of the mystery with the history of sheep importation and the military careers of various important characters (the Boss for one).

It's hard to talk about setting though, because it becomes much more important at the end of the book.

Week Two

Welcome to Week Two of our discussion. This discussion will last from Monday, March 2nd to Sunday, March 9th.

This week's discussion is on Setting. Please POST a 10-sentence comment on setting. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, but waiting is not recommended!

Week 1: Character

This main character seems to help set up the scene by making us believe he is like anyone. The fact that he is not given a name helps us imagine ourselves as him. I have a problem since I am a girl but I could imagine an alter ego that was a guy. As a main character that is narrating the story I do not believe he is doing a good job. Most emotions coming from him are completely masked and mainly inferred. Also since he is very perceptive about the people he interacts with, it seems more like they are the ones narrating and showing the inside to their psyche instead of him. His drinking, smoking and other bad habits make us think that he is waiting for death or just enjoys then too much to quit. His bad luck with older women and commitment makes him seem like he does not know where his life is going and what he should do, like most teenagers. His epithets for the women he dates shows how distant he is. His aloofness towards life is probably why he accepts this adventure that will become the book. Overall this main character is characterized as a typical boring mundane person with no drive towards life, no ambition whatsoever. I predict, that he will find some drive and that, by the end of the book, he will have a happy life, or at least a life where he cares.

LG