UM Book Club: After Dark by Haruki Murakami - Part II
June 27, 2007 by Greg
Next Assignment
Pages: 101-148 / up to Chapter 15.
Due: Tuesday July 3rd, 9am (moved from wed at noon due to July 4th)
Part II
pages 53 - 100
Characters
- Mari Asai
- Eri Asai
- Tetsuya Takahashi
- Kaoru
- Shirakawa
Songs Listed
- Page 60 - Sophisticated Lady, Duke Ellington
- Page 62 - Jealousy, Pet Shop Boys
- Page 63 - I can’t go for that, Hall and Oates
- Page 76 - English Suites, Bach, Performed by Ivo Pogorelich
If the songs weren’t enough in part I, Murakami starts dropping movies in the second reading assignment. While I’m tempted to record all references, I’ll just pay mention to one of particular note. On pages 56-57 Mari asks Kaoru the origin of the love hotels name, Alphaville. An interesting dialogue ensues identifying the irony of the name rooting back to a movie directed by famed french film maker Jean Luc Godard. The film takes an objective approach to life in a world where the citizens risk punishment for displaying emotion. Love, emotion, and connection seem to be a central theme in this novel.
Trivia: Jean Luc Godard directed Bande รก part, the film from which director Quentin Tarantino borrows his film production company’s title, A Band Apart.
The author makes special note (page 81) to emphasize the Takanashi brand of milk contrasted immediately with the character Tetsuya Takahashi. I’m not sure if this is some sort of foreshadow in which we’ll later find out later Takashi is the legacy to a dairy company. This would tie in well with all his conversations about livestock that he’s had with Mari.
Lastly, wtf is going on with the man and eri. Seriously…
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
Finally, a song I already have in my collection. Long live the Pet shop boys
I too noticed the potential Takahashi milk correlation. Curious indeed.
I enjoyed this piece more than the last mainly because it seems like Mari is finally gaining some humanity. I really enjoyed the exchange between her and Takahashi about his views on law, and the thin ‘paper mache’ wall that seperates saints from sinners in society’s view.
I liked some of the analogies that just sort of pop out as well, such as when the man (who beat up the girl in the love hotel) explains to his wife why he’ll be home late. She calls him out on it, and he says “oh yes, I just cut and pasted that response in there”. Another moment like this was Takahashi talking about the new, non musical direction in his life, saying something like “I’m switching trains at the next station.” It’s just got this great, poetic meter to it.
The man and Eri’s ‘relationship’ is getting spookier by the second.
PS: Alphaville is getting bumped to the top of my netflix list.
I keep getting this very odd “this is like The Ring” vibe from Eri and this guy. or rather in that general sense that “something evil in the TV will git you!” inspired stories. Still trying to figure out how to tie that part of the story in with the rest of what is going on, as well as the occasionaly first person naration that’s going on. there’s enough emphasis being put on to that where i really question “who is this narrator?”
interesting thing about the narration, i don’t have the book in front of me, but i really cant think of much emphasis being placed on colour at all. so my mental picture of things either tends to remain very muted of colours, or potentially in black and white.
Goat; good call on the Ring correlation, I hadn’t really thought about that. I would definitely agree that dude on the set can’t be up to anything good..
I’m starting to wonder if Takahashi is the Man’s son. Or stepson, maybe.
Mari is definitely opening up. Plus the gambit about her uncle introducing her to jazz and old movies gives a background that strengthens the potential connection with Tetsuya.
Ringu! I feel you on the ring connection. I also feel The Cell kind of torture and capture people and put them in tanks of water kind of thing…
I didn’t notice the lack of color. I’m going to start paying attention to that.
Tetsuya as The Man’s son? That is interesting.
That makes me wonder why the wife is requesting that particular brand of milk. Is it the wife just being picky? Is it the author just using it as a literary connection? Is Shirakawa Tetsuya’s dad?