Every person lives by owning something. Yet, the truth is that owning something often comes with the loss of one’s inner self. Here, a story about one young individual living in “the age of loss” awaits Kingos. The Sungkyun Times (SKT) will introduce the poignant moments that tug at your heartstrings. Have you, by any chance, lost something? Love, youth, or one's presence...
Norwegian Wood in the Age of Loss
-Writer of Loss and Love, Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese novelist, who mesmerizes readers with his light and cheerful style of writing, which sparked “Haruki Syndrome” worldwide. One of his showpieces, Norwegian Wood, achieved immense popularity, selling over 10 million copies in Korea since its publication in 1987. In Korea, it was published under the title, Norwegian Wood, which was inspired by a Beatles song with the same title. After the publisher changed the title to The Age of Loss, the sales increased rapidly and soon became must- read literature. The novel has captured many readers since Haruki’s exquisite style not only weaves a romantic love story of loss but also evokes faded memories buried within readers’ hearts. As Haruki said in the book’s preface, he truly wanted to depict the meaning of love. Norwegian Wood portrays the loss of love everyone may experience.
-Synopsis (*Spoiler Alert)
Toru Watanabe, the 17-year-old high school student, always hung out with his best friend Kizuki, and Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko. However, after Kizuki takes his own life, Watanabe and Naoko naturally drift apart. As time passes, Watanabe, now a college student, meets Naoko on the street and grows closer by taking a walk together every week. After becoming a couple, they make love on Naoko’s 20th birthday, only for her to disappear the next day. Amidst the confusion, Watanabe encounters Midori Kobayashi, a bold girl attending his school, and is drawn to her. Meanwhile, Watanabe receives the news that Naoko has been admitted to a mental sanatorium deep in the mountains. After meeting Naoko again, he is stuck between his memories with Naoko and the new relationship with Midori.
The Loss of Everyone
-Absence of Existence, and the Survivors
Watanabe’s story reminds the readers that they are living in the age of loss. The passing of Kizuki changes the lives of Watanabe and Naoko. His death makes Watanabe close his mind and distance himself from everything. However, once he falls in love with Naoko, he tries to transcend the sadness by sharing his feelings of loss with her. He holds onto the hope that, once Naoko’s mental illness subsides, they can together overcome the pain. On the other hand, while Naoko finds comfort as she gets into a deeper relationship with Watanabe, she also becomes keenly aware of Kizuki’s absence. Having lost the most precious person in her life, she eventually falls into a pit of despair to the point of experiencing severe mental distress. Meeting Watanabe intensifies her pre-existing vulnerability, which ultimately leads her to take her own life. The difference between Watanabe and Naoko lies in their attitudes toward accepting death. Watanabe recognizes that death is embedded in life, thereby choosing to keep living. In contrast, Naoko views death as the opposite of life, remaining fixated on the past. Through their stories, Haruki tells the young that death is an inherent part of life, an undeniable truth that they must learn to navigate throughout their lives.
-“Where Am I Now?”
Watanabe discovers the meaning of recovery through Midori. He loves Naoko, but at the same time, he cannot resist being attracted to Midori. Unlikeing Naoko, Midori is a playful and lively person, despite losing her parents. While committed to protecting Naoko, he cannot ignore his love for Midori, who actively expresses her feelings. However, when Naoko fails to escape the swamp of loss, Watanabe feels lost and leaves everything behind, including Midori. Soon after, he overcomes the darkness again by acknowledging Naoko’s death and letting her go. Here, Naoko symbolizes the past and the loss, and Midori represents the present and regeneration. The story ends with Watanabe confronting eternal loss and moving toward a new era, Midori. Later, Midori receives his call and asks, “Where are you now?” Instead of answering her, he asks himself, “Where am I now?” The question reflects the concerns of youth who experience the loss of friendship and love. Through this ending, Haruki conveys that if a loss exists, recovery must also do so. The recovery that Watanabe finds in a seemingly empty world suggests that loss is not the end but the beginning of another path.
A Song about Loss and Emptiness
The story starts with 37-year-old Watanabe thinking of his bygone days while listening to Norwegian Wood by the Beatles. While listening to the song, Naoko says, “I sometimes feel despondent when I listen to this song. I do not know why, but I often feel like I am lost in a deep forest. Lonely, cold, dark, and nobody coming to help.” Let us sink deeply into Norwegian Wood by following the melody of loneliness Naoko cherished the most.
I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair
I sat on a rug biding my time Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
"It's time for bed"
She told me she worked
In the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?