I'm a Bookworm

This book is a wonderful piece about love in 1960s Tokyo as seen through the eyes of young Japanese students.

Toru, his best friend Kizuki and Kizuki’s girlfriend Naoko are all best friends when their worlds are shattered by Kizuki’s unexpected suicide at 17. Toru and Naoko try to go on by comforting one another, and then fall in love. After a time, Naoko cannot deal with everyday life, and decides to part ways with Toru to spend time in a sanitorium.

Toru goes away to university and meets various interesting characters, including the lively Midori, whom he develops feelings for against the backdrop of the failed Tokyo student marches of the 60s. He continues to struggle with his love for Naoko however, and he visits her in the sanitorium.

Back in Tokyo, Toru is more confused than ever, and neglects Midori. Then, he suddenly receives a letter that Naoko has committed suicide. In his grief, he wanders aimlessly for a month and then returns to Tokyo. He realises through speaking with one of Naoko’s friends from the asylum (Reiko) that he loves Midori. He contacts her to tell her so…. and there the action ends.

The quality of the writing is what really attracts me to this book. Something in the way the characters speak and think, their ennui and aimlessness in modern Western society really captures what it’s like to grow up in an affluent country while trying to establish one’s identity. Also, the suicides are tragedies that cannot be logically explained, but perhaps can be understood when one considers the drifting nature of many of these characters.  The student revolution fizzles out, Toru doesn’t know why he’s chosen to study Drama at university (and has no real passion or aptitude for it), no one is either rich or poor, and there is a dearth of fulfillment and real connection to meaningful sources. The backdrop of a time of great change is contrasted by the characters’ lack of conviction — to connect to one another, and even to live.

[image: chazzw.files.wordpress.com]

This play is by Sartre and follows the Greek myth of Orestes. Orestes is the estranged son of a king and queen from Argos. He spends time in the town and learns that this his mother and stepfather killed his father Agamemnon. Orestes and his sister Electra work together to avenge their father’s death and rid the city of Argos from its guilt, its haunting spirits, and the flies that constantly circle it.

I loved the way the play was written, without neccesarily conciously picking up on the way that Sartre brings forward his philosophies.  Existentialism is a philosophy which believes in self-determination of one’s actions. A human being can depend on an outside source, such as society or deity to outline his morals, or he can decide for himself.

The interesting part of this book comes when Zeus tries to convince Orestes and his sister that their actions were wrong and they should join the rest of the town in perpetual guilt for actions of the past. In this scene, the ideas of existentialism come to the forefront on the points of view of the characters involved.

Zeus corners Orestes and Electra in the cave of Apollo and tells them to admit that the murder of their mother and stepfather was a sin, and that they should suffer and atone for it. Electra eventually agrees with Zeus. This means that she has let him define and moralise her actions. She has given her power of determination to another entity, in this case a God.

Orestes decides to have more of an existentialist philosophy and be for himself. This means that he determines what he thinks of his situation. He does not neccesarily reject the reality of his situation (like separating yourself from nature) but he decides how he will react to it and think of it.

Zeus decides to spare Electra from physical pain, but sends Furies and flies after Orestes as he walks away from the town. Before he leaves, Orestes addresses the townspeople and says that although he should rightly be king of Argos after the death of his mother, he has no wish to. He tells them he will leave Argos to them to govern themselves, and he will take on the burdens of their guilt, their sins, the flies and their dead as he leaves.

As you can see, a lot happens in a small three act play! I hope you check it out.

[image: petit-bazar.unige.ch]