10 Common Themes Of Murakami Novels - And What They Mean

Although Haruki Murakami has stated that he doesn't intend to write about sad characters, all of the people he writes about lead lonely and alienated lives. The heroes in Kafka On The Shore and Killing Commendatore both move to isolated locations, the titular character in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage is suddenly abandoned by all of his close friends, and the female narrator of short story "Sleep" finds solace staying up all night reading Tolstoy away from her family.

Like everything else on this list, this theme is one that seems to come from Murakami's own worldview. Refusing to adhere to any particular label or school of writing, the author has described himself as being an outsider who refuses to adhere to Japanese writing traditions. The same applies to his characters.

Refusing to conform to the expected 'salaryman' lifestyle of Japanese life, these characters instead aimlessly float through life without any sense of purpose. After his wife leaves him, the protagonist of Killing Commendatore embarks on an extended road trip for no apparent reason.

Instead, Murakami sees these characters as being their own person going through their own story. They're content in their solitude, and that's alright.