Cross Over and Duality. Murakami’s Integration of the Fantastical into the Ordinary

Whether in Japanese folktales or contemporary works of Japanese fictions, the concept of crossover and duality is widespread. An example of crossover can be the concept of time travel or the crossing into another dimension. On the other hand, duality deals with the concept of two or more identities being related to one single being. This essay explores the different types of crossovers and dualities within Haruki Murakami’s novel, Kafka on the Shore. The novel’s narrative interchanges between a fifteen-year-old runaway who calls himself Kafka and a senile old man by the name of Nakata. The novel is set in modern day Japan, with some twists of magical realism such as talking cats, a spirit from the past and parallel dimensions. The impact of different crossovers and dualities on the novel as a whole is significant because crossovers and dualities allow magical realism to take place in the novel, intensifying the plot by adding more weigh to it. Characters are allowed to assume a second or third identity, other than that of their own. Without crossovers and dualities, the plot would be starkly different and the novel would cease to be what it is.

Author dc:creator

• Nandabhiwat, Natsha, 1986-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskóli Íslands

• Enska
• Bókmenntagreining
• Kafka on the shore (skáldsaga)
• Murakami, Haruki, 1949-

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1946/15015

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/15015