He planned and prepared his escape for years before he actually began his journey. Throughout the novel, we see that Kafka is more than capable of taking care of himself. Though many components of their lives are similar, the two characters’ personalities and outlooks on life are very different.Įven though Kafka is only fifteen years old and Nakata is over sixty, the storytelling portrays Kafka as an adult and Nakata as a child. Although their stories have not yet merged, I find myself interested in the connection between Kafka and Nakata. While reading the novel, we are able to watch these characters grow as they experience the world in new ways, struggle with the concept of time, and ultimately search for their identities. The Oedipus myth is often cited as an example of self-fulfilling prophecy, and became associated with Freudian psychology after Freud developed the theory of the “Oedipus complex.” Characters in Kafka on the Shore discuss the Oedipus myth often because Kafka believes himself to be the subject of an Oedipal prophecy.Haruki Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore tells the stories of a young boy named Kafka and an older man who goes by Nakata. When he finds out what has happened, Oedipus blinds himself in anguish. Unwittingly, Oedipus fulfills the prophecy. In the myth, Oedipus receives a prophecy from the oracle at Delphi that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Kafka on the Shore also draws heavily on the ancient Greek tragic myth of Oedipus, immortalized in dramatic form by Sophocles in his play, Oedipus Rex. Kafka on the Shore has also drawn much comparison to Murakami’s other long surrealist works, including The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Like Murakami, much of Kafka’s work, such as his short story “The Metamorphosis,” blends unsettling fantastical elements with realism to portray isolated characters dealing with the absurdity of modern life.

At the same time, Murakami has also been criticized within Japan for his unconventional style, which draws inspiration from European writers including Kurt Vonnegut and the Czech novelist Franz Kafka. I-Novels typically use a first-person, confessional style, often to take on extremely dark and personal subject matter. Kafka on the Shore is one of many works by Murakami written in the style of the traditional Japanese “I-Novel,” which emerged in the early twentieth century. Murakami employs a distinct form of magical realism that blends elements of the Japanese literary tradition with foreign influences.

Satoru nakata kafka on the shore