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Book 1, Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Reality and Subjective Experience
Free Will
Desire and Irrationality
The Personal Impact of War
Social Alienation
Summary
Analysis
Three days later, Toru receives a call from Mamiya. Mamiya asks Toru for a suitable time to meet, and Toru invites Mamiya to come over later the same day. As Kumiko gets ready for work, Toru notices that she is wearing a new perfume. Toru asks about the perfume, but Kumiko brushes him off and says she has to leave, or she will be late for work.
Perfume is a common gift for a spouse or a lover, so Kumiko’s new perfume further suggests that she’s having an affair. This is the first time Toru notices something strange about Kumiko’s behavior.
Themes
After Kumiko leaves, Toru snoops around and finds a Christian Dior box, which he assumes is the box for the perfume. When he looks in the bathroom, he finds a new Christian Dior perfume bottle and wonders where it could have come from. Toru worries that Kumiko might be cheating on him and that the bottle is a gift from a sexual partner. He is annoyed and suspicious that Kumiko claimed to be late for work when he questioned her, yet she had enough time to open and apply the new perfume.
Regardless of whether Kumiko is cheating on Toru, her behavior is certainly suspicious. It does not help that Toru is home all day alone and spends most of his time thinking. Now, he has plenty to think about, and none of his thoughts are positive. At the very least, Kumiko and Toru’s relationship is in trouble because both struggle to tell the other the truth.
Themes
Before Toru’s mind can wander too far down the rabbit hole, his phone rings. He picks it up and on the other end is the mysterious woman, who tried to have phone sex with him. Toru tells the woman that he has no interest in her, but the woman ignores him. Then, she says that she knows it has been a long time since Toru has had sex with his wife. She promises to give Toru what he needs if he opens his eyes to what is going on around him.
Here, the mysterious woman is linked to Kumiko, though the importance of their connection is still obscure. This is the second time the mysterious woman has demonstrated that she does, indeed, know about Toru and his affairs. Additionally, the mysterious woman’s words contribute to the sense that some sort of conspiracy is forming around Toru of which he is not yet aware.
Themes
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The doorbell interrupts Toru’s phone conversation and he hangs up on the mysterious woman. At the door, he finds Mamiya and invites him inside. Mamiya compliments Toru’s home, which Toru admits he would never be able to afford if not for his uncle’s generosity. Toru asks Mamiya about Mr. Honda’s life, and Mamiya tells him part of what he knows. Apparently, Mr. Honda had two children—a daughter and a son—although he died alone and unmarried. Mr. Honda’s former wife died by suicide many years ago in the early 1950s.
Often, it feels like forces beyond Toru’s control are pushing him from one situation to the next, regardless of his feelings about it. As soon as one outside influence is done with him (in this case, the mysterious woman), another appears (like Mamiya).
Themes
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Mamiya was surprised to hear from Mr. Honda because the two of them had not spoken since the war. A day before Mr. Honda died, Mamiya received a letter from him, asking that he distribute his belongings to important people in his life. Not wanting to let his old friend down, Mamiya did as Mr. Honda asked. In fact, Toru is his final stop.
Mamiya is one of the few male characters in the novel whom Toru interacts with for an extended period of time. The fact that Mr. Honda has Mamiya distributing his belongings demonstrates the extent of Mr. Honda’s isolation at the end of his life.
Themes
Toru asks Mamiya about his time in the war with Mr. Honda. Mamiya explains that he met Mr. Honda before the Battle of Nomonhan and implies that the two of them went through a great deal of hardship together. Additionally, Mamiya says that he went to jail during the war and remained there for over a decade following its conclusion. Toru finds Mamiya and Mr. Honda’s history fascinating, and he asks Mamiya if he will stay longer and tell him more. Mamiya says that he and Mr. Honda swore to keep certain experiences between the two of them. However, now that Mr. Honda is dead, he says he sees no harm in sharing them.
Although the novel previously only referenced Japan’s history in the first half of the 20th century, here it extends its focus. Much of Japan’s political activity leading up to World War II was taboo to discuss even in the 1990s, when Murakami wrote this novel. Many Japanese people were ashamed of their country’s actions, especially those who participated in the war. The following chapter and some chapters later in the book are Murakami’s attempt to shed some light on this dark part of Japan’s history.
Themes
