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Book 3, Chapter 34
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 approaches the door, and the knocking ceases. The door opens with a creak, and a man enters quietly, closing it behind him. He stands near the door, breathing heavily, while Toru waits anxiously. Recalling Mamiya’s letter, Toru reminds himself not to let his imagination run wild and to avoid conjuring any unwanted thoughts. The man ignites a dim flashlight, and a fight ensues between him and Toru in the darkness. In the struggle, the man slashes Toru’s face with a knife, hitting his mysterious blemish. Toru retaliates by swinging his bat, and he manages to hit the man. After hitting the man for the first time, he swings again, which results in the cracking of bones.
The man’s silence recalls Creta’s meeting with Noboru when he violated her. Perhaps this is a clue that the mysterious woman is Creta, not Kumiko. Or perhaps Creta and Kumiko are one and the same. Regardless, Toru finally steps up and defends the woman and himself against the mysterious attacker. Assuming the figure is an alternate version of Noboru, then the images on the TV screen in the hotel lobby were prophetic in nature.
Themes
Toru grabs the flashlight to inspect the fallen body, but the mysterious woman pleads with him not to do so. He heeds her warning and feels a surge of nausea, which causes him to vomit repeatedly until there is nothing left in his stomach. Toru tells the woman that they must go. However, when he looks up, he sees that she is no longer on the bed; she has disappeared. Toru sits for a moment, reflecting on his failure. He had taken a life in an attempt to bring Kumiko back, but now Kumiko is gone.
It is ambiguous whether the mysterious woman’s disappearance represents a success or failure for Toru. On the one hand, he never learned the truth of her identity. On the other hand, he vanquished her pursuer and possibly set her free. Of course, Toru feels like he has failed because his original goal was to get Kumiko back but from early in the novel, this wish was always a pipe dream.
Themes
Upon awakening, Toru finds himself at the bottom of a well that is gradually filling with water, and Toru cannot move. Memories of Mr. Honda’s prophecy about water resurface in Toru’s mind. Determined, Toru decides to reactivate his imagination, and he envisions May opening the well’s cover. Suddenly, he hears May’s voice calling out to him.
Early in the story, Mr. Honda advised Toru to go with the flow of water rather than fight against it. Determined to survive, Toru reaches deep inside himself and imagines his escape from the well. However, it is unclear whether this constitutes following Mr. Honda’s advice.
Themes
May asks if he is afraid of dying, and Toru says that he is. May says she is sorry, but she cannot help him. Then she proceeds to close the well. Toru calls her name desperately, but it is no use. The water rises, reaching Toru’s neck as he struggles to come to terms with his impending death. As the water engulfs his mouth and nose, Toru begins to drown.
Traditionally, water is a symbol of purification and rebirth. As such, in one sense Toru’s return to the well is a sort of rebirth for him; he’s conquered the darkness lurking in his mind and come out the other side. However, on the other hand, it does not look like his new life is going to last long.
Themes
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