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Book 3, Chapter 19
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
Nutmeg and her mother fled from Manchuria to Japan at the end of World War II for safety. They sought refuge with relatives, but Nutmeg always felt displaced within her mother’s family. As Nutmeg grew older, her interest in school waned while her passion for fashion blossomed. She supported herself through design school by working part-time as a seamstress. Someone at the school recognized Nutmeg’s talent, and she eventually became the head of her own section in the fashion industry. Her career in fashion took off, and she prioritized her work over romantic relationships and marriage.
Like all of the other major characters in the novel, Nutmeg is someone who never felt she belonged anywhere growing up. Luckily, she managed to turn her passion into a dream, though she mainly remained isolated from those around her. Nutmeg’s social isolation, combined with that of the many other characters in the story, demonstrates the novel’s more significant point that such feelings of isolation are near-ubiquitous and are part of being alive.
Themes
At the age of 27, Nutmeg encountered her future husband, who was also a fashion designer. They got married in 1963 and had a child soon after. Nutmeg brought her mother to live with them to help care for the baby while she continued her professional pursuits. Although Nutmeg was unsure if she truly loved her husband, they developed an inspiring professional partnership. The couple gained a devoted following and hired a business manager. While her husband became a charismatic cultural figure known for his artistic charm, Nutmeg took charge of most of the design work. As their company expanded, Nutmeg and her husband grew distant from each other.
Nutmeg’s relationship with her husband sounds like Toru’s relationship with Kumiko; they worked well together, even though there was something missing from their relationship. Although their relationship is still functional in many ways, it does not help their feelings of social alienation. Furthermore, it is not a promising dynamic for two people who have a child on the way.
Themes
In 1975, tragedy struck when someone brutally murdered Nutmeg’s husband in a hotel room. The killer mutilated his body and removed his organs. The crime scene yielded numerous fingerprints, making it challenging to identify the culprit, and the murderer remained at large. Nutmeg was devastated by her husband’s gruesome death. She sold their company and lived off the proceeds from the sale, as well as her stock investments.
The removal of Nutmeg’s husband’s organs recalls the scene where Cinnamon finds a still-beating heart under a tree. Although he probably did not know what happened to his father at such a young age—at least not the gruesome details—his mind still managed to connect the gruesome nature of the death with his own experience.
Themes
During her mourning period, Nutmeg discovered an unusual ability, which manifested when she was conversing with the wife of a department store owner. The wife experienced intense head pain and knelt to the ground in agony. Nutmeg, upon massaging her right temple, had visions of the zoo massacre.
Here, Nutmeg’s powers are directly related to the zoo massacre, an event she barely remembers. Notably, her powers emerged after a traumatic event, which is also true for Toru and Creta.
Themes
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Astonishingly, the massage alleviated the woman’s headache. A month later, the woman contacted Nutmeg and invited her to lunch, specifically requesting another temple massage. While massaging the woman, Nutmeg focused on her recollections of the zoo massacre, and once again, the woman found relief from her pain. Word spread, and soon the woman was bringing her friends to Nutmeg for paid massages.
Seemingly, Nutmeg’s healing powers derive from her tragic history. In order to be able to heal other people, she must take herself back to one of the darkest parts of her life. The same is true for Creta when she uses her powers, as she must continue her work as a prostitute. Perhaps the same happens to Malta, Noboru, Mr. Honda, and Toru, though that remains ambiguous.
Themes
