Department of Applied Linguistics

Government College University, Faisalabad

Assignment
Novel
Syed Burhan Uddin Gillani
BS 5th Morning
Roll #: 510247
 Department of Applied Linguistics
Government College University, Faisalabad

Critical Essay on Novel Norwegian Wood

Death exists, not as opposites but as a part of life. The abrupt death of your beloved one not
only agonizes you the whole life but also halves you into two choices suicide or suffering.

Life is all about the availability of your esteemed ones. Their presence not only gives you
the actual meaning of life but you cherish every single moment in utter bliss. On the other
hand, their absence pushes you to an absurd and meaning less life. The same was the case in
this novel. Naoko, the protagonist of this novel, confronted such circumstances. As far as
she has her dear one, Kizuki, she was living every moment of her life. In fact, she was
carrying a special meaning in her life. But, the tragic death of Kizuki left a lingering impact
on her routines and she felt a complete hollowness in the face of this irreparable loss. She
was in an inadequate state of calamity and faced the harshness of life from her own point of
view. His memories not only haunt her for the whole remaining part of her life but her
frustration surges with each day passing. Naoko, from the failure of different mental
treatments, proved the fact that you became incapable of digesting the bitter reality of the
absence of your cherished one. Consequently, her ending was the same in the novel. In the
long run, to ignore reality, she came to commit suicide and departed to chase her partner
outside this life.
Imagine, you wake somewhere and find yourself without obvious or inherent meaning, that
is where when you are in a crisis of existence. An existential crisis challenges one individual
at the core and torments him till the last. The author, Haruki Murakami, grappled with the
same agitation and therefore, showcases the same problems in his characters. Toru
Watanabe, another main character of the novel, who was secretly in desperate love with
Naoko, faced an existential crisis. Her perplexed condition affected his life and the
consequent behavior of her pushed him to ever complications. These complications muddled
him and he found himself in utter depression. Toru blamed his existence and anxiously,
went into an introverted state of seclusion. He avoided not only meeting people but hardly,
he smiled a even talked to himself. This shaped another major theme of this novel. Haruki
Murakami is an exceptionally sentimental novelist. Therefore, he portrays emotional and
insightful stories of his own fictitious stories. In this novel, Toru Watanabe witnessed the
long existence problem whether in the case of Naoko or in the matter of another character,
Midori. He wandered for the clear and obvious position in society but as expected, got
failed. The ending for him was not in conventional death but he died while being a part of
his life.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is not only an emotional novel to delve into but a
deep sentiments-oriented read. From the major characters of Naoko or Toru to the minor
characters of Reiko or Kizuki, the novel displays a heart-wrenching story that has a
profound impact on its readers. The real death of Naoko and Kizuki and the emotional death
of Toru damage the peace of the reader, promptly, and knocks the perpetual peace of reader.
It is not only a psychological novel but an emotional commentary by the Japanese author
along with the exploration of the themes of suffering, loss, death, absurdity, and search for
meaning. Appropriately, it is a recommendation for fanatic and psychic readers.