South of the Border, West of the Sun (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Haruki Murakami
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1951-1988
- Setting: Japan
- Principal Characters: Hajime, Shimamoto, Yukiko, Yukiko’s father, Izumi Ohara, Izumi’s cousin
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, World War II, Schools or school life, 1980’s, Adultery, Nightclubs, Japan or Japanese people
- Locales: Japan
At its core, Haruki Murakami’s novel South of the Border, West of the Sun is about the central character, Hajime, who proves unable to make moral decisions and, instead, yields to various temptations. While Hajime realizes late in his teens that he is “a person who can do evil,” he is curiously passive when it comes to acting on his insights. He knows that he could easily hurt others again, including those who love him, should the opportunity arise.
Hajime presents a character who is not easily likable yet has a hauntingly complex nature. Murakami’s protagonist...
[The entire page is 1794 words long]
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