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Book 2, Chapter 14
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 following day, May calls Toru and invites him to come over to see her. When Toru arrives at May's house, she asks if he is angry with her. She confesses that she intended to keep Toru in the well until the very last moment to test his resilience. She thought it was important for Toru to stay in the well for as long as he possibly could. Only that way, she thought, would he have some sort of breakthrough. Additionally, May reveals that she spent a few hours in the well. While inside, she experienced intense fear and a disturbing sensation that something unpleasant was consuming her.
One should not take May’s words at face value. After all, she had no way of knowing Toru’s status on a minute-to-minute basis while he has down in the well. She did not check on him regularly, and he almost died because of her carelessness. Additionally, she claims she was trying to help Toru, but earlier, she expressed skepticism that it would work. However, in fairness, Toru’s plan was partially successful, though some of its consequences have yet to play out.
Themes
Toru questions why May frequently discusses death. Instead of directly answering him, May explains that every person’s actions are based on their unique inner core. As such, it is often difficult for people to understand one another, and May considers herself to be someone whose inner core is particularly difficult to grasp. When she feels unheard, she tends to act out. She tells Toru that this is why she trapped him in the well. Additionally, it is why she covered her boyfriend’s eyes while he was driving a motorcycle. Immediately, Toru realizes what May is implying; her leg injury came for an accident that she caused.
Finally, Murakami reveals the driving force behind May’s behavior. Essentially, she is responsible for someone else’s death and has not resolved her feelings about what she did. With this revelation, her previous comments about death and pessimism make sense, and she becomes a more sympathetic character. Despite everything, May also demonstrates that she is a brilliant young woman, as she is coming to conclusions in her teens that took Toru until his thirties to reach.
Themes
Toru inquiries about the fate of May’s boyfriend, and she says that he died as a result of the accident. Then, May shares that she is thinking about returning to school. She credits Toru with revealing the abnormality of the world to her. It was a useful thing for her to learn, but now she desires something with a bit more structure. She plans to go somewhere far away for school, so she will not see Toru for a long time. As a way to say goodbye, May kisses Toru's mark, and he gently touches the scar near her eye. Toru can sense her troubled mind and hopes she will find someone to care for her.
Apparently, May’s time in the well was helpful for her. Despite everything, she is considering a return to a normal life for a girl her age. The kiss and the touch Toru and May exchange are strictly platonic. It is a tender moment where they acknowledge each other’s pain while also saying goodbye.
Themes
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