The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Toru Okada is, by all accounts, an everyman character. He lives a rather average life until his cat goes missing. Analyze Murakami’s motivation to use an everyman narrator to explore and express the novel’s main themes. Why Toru Okada?

Why does Murakami go into such detail about the outfits and styles each character wears? What is the purpose of focusing on fashion throughout this novel?

By Book 3, Malta and Creta Kano have become mere memories. What is Murakami’s purpose in introducing such important secondary characters then having them disappear without a trace?

Imagine you are at the bottom of a deep, dry well. You are there to hibernate and think deeply about your innermost desires, problems, and questions. Write a narrative in which you describe what that experience might be like, and what questions you would ask of yourself in the well.

Juxtapositions, paradoxes, and dichotomies are important driving forces of the narrative in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Identify examples of these literary devices and connect them to Murakami’s themes. Why are comparisons and contrasts featured so heavily in this novel?

Toru Okada is largely guided by women. The female characters are secondary but crucial, and all of them have their own unique characterizations. Why does Toru rely on women, specifically? What purpose do these secondary characters serve to the bildungsroman?

Who or what is the wind-up bird? Write an essay in which you analyze the symbolism of the wind-up bird.

Can anyone truly know another person’s essence? Should we even try? Write a philosophical essay in which you argue yes, or no. Pull examples to back up your claims from the novel as well as from the world outside the novel.