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About Me
- Marta Magellan
- I write books for children, mainly on nonfiction topics, but also adaptations of folklore. I worked as a Professor of English, Creative Writing, Survey of Children's Literature, Issues in Literature and Culture, and World Literature. I also write an occasional newspaper or magazine piece (usually on nature or travel) as well as books for children.
I think that Haruki Murakami is trying to show the readers of his novel After Dark, the difference in peoples lives and their different perceptions. For example, I believe by explaining Mari's opinion of her "perfect" sister Eri, then describing Eri as socially awkward and almost withdrawn Murakami is trying to show how drastically people's opinions can vary from the reality. Murakami describes Eri's room as a cold, empty place. However, it is very simply decorated and "perfect" looking on the outside, however completely lacking warmth and personality, just like Mari's "perfect" sister Eri. I believe the TV watching over Eri as she slept was a way for Murakami to tell his readers that although everything may look perfect from the outside, Eri's life (representing everybody) is far from perfect and she is constantly bothered by strangers watching her every move... even in her sleep.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Mari, who has missed the last train home, is sitting in a Denny's trying to pass the time. I see this as Murakami's example of the "fast life". Mari almost goes un-noticed, un-seen and kind of lives her lief "under the radar." Far less "perfect" then her sister Eri, however, through her experiences, she is able to observe people from the outside, and far less people are as interested to observe her, allowing her to develop her own sense of life and what it means. Not constantly worried about the strangers "watching her", Mari lives "freely" and is not restrained by the thoughts of others. I believe Murakami has done a great job in showing the readers that what appears to be isnt always so.
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ReplyDeleteAfter Dark was a novel that i enjoyed reading. It always had me wondering what was going to happen next. It's true at the beggining of the novel i found it to be vague. At first i didn't understand how it went from the scene where Mari was at Denny's talking to the young guy who played the trombone in a rockstar band to the scene where her beautiful sister Eri's slept peacefully throughout the whole night. I believe that Murakami wrote this novel to show how things are in the real world. For example the scene were Mari saw the prostiture full of blood because she got beat up. Those things do happen in real life. I believe that it showed Mari how things outside her house are, unlike Eri's who just sleeps in a peaceful room not knowing what is like on the outside.
ReplyDeleteAnother scene that got me really confused was the scene where Eri just sleeps there and the guys with no face is watching her from the TV. From this scene i think that Murakami is just trying to show that no matter how peaceful and quiet you seem, there will be always someone who will be watching your every move, and it doesnt mean it has to be in a good or in a bad way, but there will always be someone there.
I also believe that even though the Author doesnt show Mari as the perfect girl with the beautiful face, He shows her as the smart sister, not scared of anything that life has outside the walls for her. It's just irony and kind of funny how two sisters who were raised together can be so different from one another, but that's just what makes life so interesting and complex in every way.
After Dark was a book I had to pay close attention to. I had to go back and read some sentences over again because of the changes of perspectives and scenery. I was really interested in trying to figure out what the author was trying to convey with Eri in her room, and the television. I began to think when "we", the audience, were looking at Eri sleep in her bed that was reality. Just her in a deep sleep, breathing ever so softly that you could barely hear her. Once it switched to what was showing in the television, that is when the author was trying to show what was going on in her mind, or her dreams. I began to think the man with no face was someone in her dream, since sometimes when we dream about someone their faces are blurry or hard to recognize. When "we" came back to Eri and she was the one inside the television looking back at us in her room is when I was convinced the television showed what she was dreaming about. She was looking back at her own room franticly with her eyes glancing from one object to another with familiarity. She begins to knock on the glass of the television from the inside but "we" on the other side hear nothing but silence. This further suggested to me that the inside of the television is her dream and the outside, Eri's room, is reality.
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ReplyDeleteAfter Dark is a very intresting book I must say. At first I felt it was going to be a scary book like the movie "The Grudge" mixed with "The Ring" due to the fact of the t.v turning on and the black and white scene and the chair with no arms. But once I noticed that the author kept going back to the scene, I interpreted that it was somewhat of an illusion or maybe a dream made by Mari or Eri. Then as chapter went by and Mari revealed about her sisters situation and realized that in reality she was sleeping endlessly, but in her mind she was dreaming of a lonely place as if she really did want to wake up. Another part I found intresting was the man who kept calling the cell phone. Was there really a purpose to him calling twice? I think he made his point during his first call. However, I guess it was meant for readers to find the man on the other end of the phone someone who maybe was also chasing Korogi.
ReplyDeleteI was not very pleased with After Dark for the fact that it left me with a sense of emptiness. Like there was no real ending; nothing came to terms. However, I do applaud Murakami for keeping me guessing and wanting to read more. I managed to read the book in a cumulative of 5 hours. I just sat down and did not stop reading for anything.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the "night" plays a major role in this book. We are closely watching over Mari, Eri, Takahashi, Shirakawa and a few others with a scrutinizing eye. We are seeing what is going on with these people during these awkward hours. Looking at things that happen during night time that wouldn't normally occur during the day. We are observing lost souls and the issues that they deal with at night that they would not normally deal with when everyone else is awake and able to see them. Take Shirakami for example, during the daytime he seems like a normal business man with a family, yet at night this alter ego emerges and he turns into a monster [metaphorically] who beats up a young prostitute and takes all her belongings. Eri, whom to everyone seems like a normal beautiful girl who can have anything she wants, is actually unable to have a normal social life. She takes a lot of pills and really has no sense of herself. When we are first introduced to Eri in the novel, she is sleeping. To the outside world she looks peaceful and calm without a care in the world. Yet, when we see what is going on in the television set, it is nothing but. I think that whatever is occurring in the television set is actually what is going on in Eri's subconscious; like a dream/nightmare. All she wants to do is sleep and forget about all her problems. I believe the man with the mask is actually her inner demon. She can't really put a face on her troubles but they are there. In her dream she is trying to grasp a sense of reality and wishes that someone could hear her and that she can escape this "nightmare".
After Dark is a novel that makes you realize that not everything is what it seems. You also realize that even though two people who grow up in the same household, don't have to have similar personalities or actually really know each other on a deeper more emotional level. Everyone has an inner demon. Some people can go on with their lives being productive even if something is bothering them on a subconscious level, while others turn to less healthy habits and sometimes even resort to unreasonable and fearful actions.
After Dark is a very abstract, conceptual, and almost poetic type of work. Rather than directly unfolding everything, Murakami makes the reader's minds work to unravel the meanings behind the symbolism and comparisons.
ReplyDeleteThe author creates a time line that gradually guides us through the long night. Each minute that ticks by is teeming with life. He uses vivid details to give us a deeper connection with the character's lives, thoughts, and individual perspectives. We begin to see everyone's double-lives in the story. The professional and successful businessman who beats prostitutes in love hotels at night, the model-like girl who drowns in paranoia of society's expectations in her sleep, and the studious child who searches for meaning late at night in a Denny's.Between Mari, Eri, and Takahashi, all three types of vantage points are offered. First party, second party, and third party views.
Mari is a seemingly strong, capable, and intelligent woman who has her life together. Eri is a spitting image of artistic perfection and beauty, with a perfect model's life.
Mari, in actuality, is young and directionless, with a rather ordinary perspective on herself. She feels insignificant, and wanders around after dark, searching for something she cannot define. Eri does not want to wake up, and continues sleeping, trapped within her own anxious dreams. She is an internal wreck, and has sacrificed her personality for outer beauty.
Mari discovers that they are not so different on the inside, despite the roles that society's expectations have placed them in. I think that as the night ends in the novel, and the morning emerges, the city resumes living their fake lives (studying law, modeling, etc.). It is a reflection of our society.
After Dark started a little slow but once it got my attention the athuor had me. I agree with the comment made by Jessica that what you see not what you always get. Mari pictured her sister as a beautiful, flawless girl that had everything going for her. But Eri had really deep issues that she colud only share with a total stranger like Takahashi. Mari didn't know her sister had a drug problem until Takahashi shared that with her. I think Eri was in a deep state of depression that's why she was asleep for so long.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand Mari has more going for herself then she gives herself credit for. She's a college student and has been selected to go to Beijing as an exchange student. She has a great personlity and can make friends easily.Appears to me that Mari has a good head on her shoulders and knows what she wants out of life and is not going to let anyone stop her.
Latonya Taylor
After Dark is one of the most simple literary book I have read. Murakami illustrates us how time and society can contribute greatly to separate two sister and make them total strangers living in the same house. Each sister took a very different and distant path from each other in their perspective life. Mari the youngest sister has what we would consider a normal life, but in her house she was the shadow of the family. Living in the shadow of her sister's fame. Mari had old built ups of resentment. the only way Mari could have gotten out of her darkness was by buikding a relationship with her older sister Eri. Murakami describes Eri as a Hikikomori (social withdrwal). Murakami demostrates this in the scene where Eri is in her room sleeping and she wakes up to see herself trapped in T.V. inside her room with no outside communication. Giving the impression that she was only a puppet maneuvered by everyone sorrounding her. Eri was lost, alone, and had no identity. In my opinion Mari never realized how similar her life was to Eris' when seeing from a different prospective.
ReplyDeleteIntersting enough Murakami makes us part of the book, we, the reader suddenly become the narrator. We keep our distance. We watch, listen to everything. We are everywhere and we leave no trace of our existence.
Murakami uses the darkness as a symbolism of lonelyness and feelings. This book made me think if it is possible that your soul can leave your human flesh.
A diversity of insights focused on different aspects of the novel makes for very interesting reading. Most of you were spot on in your observations.
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