The Elephant Vanishes Haruki Murakami Analysis

The Elephant Vanishes Haruki Murakami AnalysisOne of the major themes in this tosh is the idea of functions being let on of proportionateness. This theme is established when the narrator tells the editor about the importance of consistency in kitchen design, as he explains that, Even the most beautifully designed item dies if it is out of balance with its surroundings. The narrator goes on to put emphasis on balance between the environment and the creature that c alones it abode when he talks about witnessing the change in size of the elephant compared to its keeper. He explains that their size became equal, whether it was the keeper who grew or the elephant that shrank, or perhaps a bit of both. The narrator once once more puts across the idea that things nearly me wee lost their proper balance after the disappearance of the two. He is no longer fit to take action on his own behalf, as he is haunted by a backbone that the urban world is out of balance, and he feels that a kind of natural balance has broken imbibe inside him.Linked to the theme of imbalance is the comparison between truth and appearances. The reporter that is covering the unlike occurrence tries very hard to maintain the false impression that the elephant simply escaped, when the facts surrounding the whole thing points to none other than a supernatural vanishing. The narrator points out that this is indeed strange and continues to observe that all of the town try to hide behind a similar guise of normality. This inconsistency between appearances and reality comes up again in the narrators telephone circuit. He goes about his day as usual and maintains a direct professional approach even though he himself does not agree that a kitchen must have unity, or any of the other principles his company cites in order to trade in the products. The narrator discovers that he cannot set on the differences between reality and appearance, and while he hesitancys his own perception, he suf fers, once again, a sand of disorientation and confusion.Another concern of the story is how recent development has dis positioningd the older, more traditional ways of life. The context is a prosperous Tokyo suburb in the 1980s, when an economic boom was occurring in Japan. The construction of multistorey condominiums sets the events of the story in motion. These condos replace the old zoo, forcing the elephant to be relocating to a new elephant house. Thus, the keeper and his elephant become a symbol of former ways of life and sensitive relationships, which are being pushed aside by accommodation endeavors. Murakami lightly mocks the absurdity of modern life throughout the story, particularly when the narrator describes the towns reaction to the elephants disappearance. The reactions of various townspeople such as the mayor, a worried-looking mother, the police, Self-Defense Force troops, an anchor, and the reporter show how useless and illogical effected urban responses can be. As the narrator puts it, the newspaper articles were all either pointless or gain the mark. Police response is ridiculous and futile. In all, the absurd public response to the bizarre situation of a misplaced elephant shows, in almost a comic way, how urban mindset fails to imagine, much less comprehend, the unconvincing or intuitive.Throughout this story, the author reveals subtly that the removal of the old ways of life leaves the people olfactory sensation mixed-up. Murakami also puts emphasis on how the new ways create detachment and discomfort. For example, the narrator goes about his job as a public relations executive by abiding to the motto that things you cant sell dont count for much. In reality, he really does not believe this statement, he says it and uses it and it seems to confuse him, making him question his purpose in life. Just like some of the authors other characters, the narrator is single, a loner, and lives by himself with no obvious connections with f riends or family. Due to this, he marvels at the connection between the elephant and its keeper, their closeness to one another. resultant to the elephants disappearance, the narrator feels low, more isolated, and alone than ever.Murakami uses the melodic theme of water to reinforce readers awareness of disappearance or a sense of dissolution. The narrator, when discussing how the interest factor in the elephants disappearance faded after a few months had passed, states, Amid the fadeless surge and ebb of everyday life, interest in a missing elephant could not last forever, therefore likening daily life to the eroding action of ocean tides. The water motif occurs again some(prenominal) paragraphs later, when the narrator compares summer memories to water flowing into the sewers and rivers, to be carried to the deep, dark ocean. Here too the water motif conveys a sense of things disappearing inevitably into a vast ocean. Since water can evaporate into oxygenize and is inherentl y unstable, this motif mirrors the vanishing, parallels the idea of impermanence, and suggests the narrators sense of being unsettled by a world out of balance.Murakami instills the image of rain into the reader in order to express a sense of gloom and/or sadness. The narrator exemplifies this as he describes the now empty elephant house, A few abruptly months without its elephant had given the place an air of doom and desolation that hung there like a huge, oppressive rain cloud. Afterward, when he is lecture to the editor, he mentions the presence of a quiet, dam rain, once again putting forth the existence of an unrelenting, corroding, and sad force. Their conversation starts to take a strange course at the mention of the elephant and afterwards the narrator makes a comparison with the melting ice in the editors drink to a tiny ocean current. With this image, it is possible that Murakami again creates an ambience of things dissolving in some sinister, enveloping force.In my op inion, Murakami did an amazing job embedding themes throughout his short story The Elephant Vanishes. He used his abstract writing to convey important societal messages like imbalance, perception, and the views of modern living. Murakami also made the story more personal by incorporating a first person stance. This single view enhanced the confusion. By using dialogue, his motifs, and his similes, Haruki Murakami kept the story enjoyable and readable, although it is sometimes hard to catch along. At the end of the story, it is difficult not to ask questions about the society portrayed in the book. I believe this is what the author was aiming for and I believe he succeeded. By petition questions about the story, the reader, in actuality, is asking questions about their own world.