Previous
Book 3, Chapter 33
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
Toru says he will not shine his light at the woman. He walks over to the woman, who is on the bed, and sits next to her. He tells the woman that he has been contemplating her identity and has finally figured out who she is. The woman, amused, asks Toru to give his hypothesis. Toru says he thinks the woman is an alternate version of Kumiko. Because the real Kumiko cannot contact him or talk to him for some reason, this version of Kumiko is doing the work for her.
Perhaps Toru only respects the woman’s wish because he already knows her identity—or, at least, he thinks he does. Ultimately, Toru’s guess aligns with the various clues the mysterious woman has dropped throughout the novel. In many ways, she has replaced Kumiko in his life, though whether she is a version of Kumiko is still up for debate.
Themes
The mysterious woman pushes back on what Toru says. She wants to know why, if she is a version of Kumiko, she does not have the same voice. Still, Toru remains firm in his conviction; he is sure this woman is Kumiko, even if he does not entirely understand what is going on. After a moment the woman changes her voice and suddenly, she sounds like Kumiko. Toru tells her that he still wants to bring her back with him and asks her to help him figure out what is going on.
Like so much of the novel, everything about this scene is ambiguous and impossible to nail down. On the one hand, the woman can sound like Kumiko. However, on the other, she can sound like other women as well. Given her different voices, another possibility could be that the mysterious woman is a composite of all the women in Toru’s life.
Themes
Toru also asks the woman why Kumiko left him without saying anything. He does not believe the story about the affair and is instead sure that Noboru is somehow involved in all of this. In response, the woman shifts her voice again. In this voice, the woman tells Toru that the messages he’s received from Kumiko are not necessarily true and that there are other reasons for sending such messages.
Again, the mysterious woman raises more questions than she answers. If she is not Kumiko, then why does she know about the contents of Kumiko’s messages? Also, what is the purpose of the message if their surface meaning is false? If her claims are true, then it seems impossible that Toru will ever get to know the real Kumiko.
Themes
Toru continues probing, hoping to get to something more concrete. He gives the mysterious woman his theory about the Wataya family. He thinks there is something wrong with the family history, perhaps genetic, that Kumiko does not what to pass on. This issue would explain why she was so confident in her decision to have an abortion. Additionally, Toru suspects that whatever the problem is, it is particularly bad for Noboru. He accuses Noboru of somehow corrupting Kumiko’s sister and driving her to suicide.
Ultimately, none of Toru’s theories matter in the sense that the mysterious woman never confirms or denies them. However, they are important in that they allow Toru to make sense of the chaotic world around him. His theories are ordering principles that he needs in order to live a satisfactory life.
Themes
Get the entire The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle LitChart as a printable PDF.
Toru believes that whatever Noboru did to Kumiko’s sister is also something he can do to the public at large. Toru thinks Noboru’s speeches have a corrupting effect that somehow violates those who hear them. Toru posits that Kumiko married him as a way to escape the corrupting influence of her family. However, after some time, she found that they were impossible to escape, which is why she went to Malta Kano. Also, Toru believes that Noboru somehow figured out that his sister was trying to rid herself of his influence, so he kidnapped her and did not let her return to Toru. Toru cannot prove anything he says, yet he is sure there is some truth to it.
If what Toru says is true, then perhaps he has finally discovered the “real” Kumiko, which has been his goal since the beginning of the novel. At the very least, he’s reached a new level of understanding and acceptance for the situation his wife is in. Alternatively, everything Toru says could be a coping mechanism. Perhaps the real answer for why Kumiko left is because she was unhappy and didn’t want anything to do with him. However, this answer would be profoundly upsetting to Toru, so he comes up with answers that are more satisfying.
Themes
Still convinced that the mysterious woman is a version of Kumiko, Toru promises to rescue her. In response, the woman asks him if he will still rescue her even if she is not Kumiko. Toru says that will. Then, the woman hands Toru his baseball bat. On the bat, Toru sees blood and hair, which he knows belong to Noboru. The woman warns Toru that Noboru cannot be destroyed so easily. She implies that his presence is still a strong and dangerous force in this alternate reality. As she says this, a foreboding knock comes from the door. Frightened, the woman orders Toru to leave immediately. However, this time, Toru refuses to go through the wall. Instead, he stands his ground and waits to see what is on the other side of the door.
Toru’s promise to rescue the mysterious woman no matter what shows that he has moved past caring about her identity. As far as he is concerned, he knows the truth about Kumiko—or at least something that is close enough. Meanwhile, the sudden reappearance of the bat and the loud knocking at the door, suggests that the alternate version of Noboru is on the other side. Finally, Toru stands his ground and decides to face the mysterious presence, which he fled from previously.
Themes
