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Book 1, Chapter 6
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
The day after Toru’s second encounter with May, Toru runs some errands and reorganizes his house. He goes to the laundromat where he drops off some clothes and takes stock of the world around him. Finding little out of the ordinary, Toru returns home to tend to the house. Shortly after he arrives, Toru receives a phone call from Malta. Malta asks Toru if he plans to be home in the afternoon. Toru confirms that he will be, and, in response, Malta tells him that she will be sending her sister, Creta, to see him. The name “Creta” is a surprise to Toru, who wonders if Malta is serious. However, Malta quickly ends the conversation before he can ask about the strange name.
Whenever Toru examines the world around him and notices that nothing is out of the ordinary, it indicates that something extraordinary is about to happen. As usual, Toru’s day takes a bizarre turn after he receives a phone call. Apparently, he is about to meet yet another new woman. It is worth noting that, except for the man who runs the laundromat, everyone Toru interacts with is female, including Kumiko, Malta, May, the mysterious woman, and now Creta.
Themes
As promised, Creta arrives in the afternoon and introduces herself to Toru. She explains that, like her sister, she took her name from an island (Crete, in this case). Creta asks Toru if she can take a sample of the water in his house and a sample from a well in the neighborhood. The request confuses Toru, but he tells Creta she can take the samples. However, he warns her that the only well he knows of is all dried up. Creta skeptically asks Toru if he is sure the well is all dried up, and he assures her it is.
Once again, Toru meets with a Kano sister, and once again, it does not go how he expected. Malta and Creta’s behavior suggests something is going on, which Toru is not privy to yet. Whatever that something is, it concerns water, Malta’s pet interest. Whether Creta knows what is happening or if she is simply doing her sister’s bidding is similarly unclear.
Themes
Creta goes and collects her water sample and then turns to leave. Confused, Toru stops Creta and asks her to tell him more about the missing cat. He does not understand why all of this is necessary; he simply wants to know where his cat is and whether it is dead or alive. Creta informs Toru that she does not know anything about his missing cat. However, she warns him that the cat’s disappearance is part of a larger story. Then, Creta asks Toru if they can spend more time together so she can tell him about herself. Toru, who has nothing better to do, welcomes the company.
Finally, Toru stands up for himself and gets some new information. As he suspected, the water samples have nothing to do with the cat, which Malta and Creta do not care about. Malta and Creta’s strange behavior makes one wonder why Kumiko hired them in the first place. There is a growing sense that a wider conspiracy is occurring to which Toru is not privy.
Themes
