From the sober odysseys of Mari to the surrealistic and sequences of Eri, Haruki
Murakami’s novel After Dark transitions between the realities of the Japanese night and
the private bedroom of a sleeping beauty. This is all because Murakami bestows upon the
readers way of exposition and description: the omniscient eye.
The pure omniscience of the eye is noted over the course of the novel. It is under the presence of the eye that the strange happenings of the night occur. It is the eye that allows us to see the man in Eri’s unpowered TV, and it is the eye that focuses on the reflections on the mirror which simply stare at their initiators. What may be strange is that when these strange occurrences happen, there is nobody else to witness it; Eri is asleep while the illusions take place. Accordingly, Shirakawa and Mari leaves the bathroom before they see their apparitions on the mirror. Even if minuscule and barely visible, audience is allowed to see Eri’s “quick trembling of the lips” (6:52 A.M) through that eye. The audience is given these minute details to be able to infer among the image of the pages, and through these snapshots, they are able to predict the outcomes of the novel, even if Murakami does not directly state them, adding to the allure of the night which he so skillfully weaves into the novel.
However, like a camera that focuses on the smallest details of objects and character, the eye can only distort what seems to be the face in the portrait. leaving the readers with no real answer; what was the nature of the happenings of Eri’s room. What was the identity and purpose of the faceless man of Eri’s television? Why did Shirakawa’s room appear in Eri’s dream in the first place? In situations where the hints given by the details are matters of wide debate, the book ends as ambiguous as it’s dreamlike scenes, reverting back to normal into the obscurity of the night. It makes the readers wonder whether they have more answers than questions, and, in front of the titanic weight of the questions, the answers may seem dwarfed in comparison.
The eye of Murakami, as much as it is an object of revelation, is also a shroud that distorts the images presented. It can be inferred that the eye, as much as it is a significant tool of exposition, is also the author’s way of analogy into the process of narration and reading. It is direct, sharp and all knowing when allowed, but when restrained, it is as mortal as our very own eyes. The floating eye demonstrates to the readers just how vulnerable they are to the narrow viewpoints created by the books that they read, and how authors, like illusionists, only show the things which they desire the readers to see, while hiding the tricks of trade and the underlying truth and revelation that comes from it.
The pure omniscience of the eye is noted over the course of the novel. It is under the presence of the eye that the strange happenings of the night occur. It is the eye that allows us to see the man in Eri’s unpowered TV, and it is the eye that focuses on the reflections on the mirror which simply stare at their initiators. What may be strange is that when these strange occurrences happen, there is nobody else to witness it; Eri is asleep while the illusions take place. Accordingly, Shirakawa and Mari leaves the bathroom before they see their apparitions on the mirror. Even if minuscule and barely visible, audience is allowed to see Eri’s “quick trembling of the lips” (6:52 A.M) through that eye. The audience is given these minute details to be able to infer among the image of the pages, and through these snapshots, they are able to predict the outcomes of the novel, even if Murakami does not directly state them, adding to the allure of the night which he so skillfully weaves into the novel.
However, like a camera that focuses on the smallest details of objects and character, the eye can only distort what seems to be the face in the portrait. leaving the readers with no real answer; what was the nature of the happenings of Eri’s room. What was the identity and purpose of the faceless man of Eri’s television? Why did Shirakawa’s room appear in Eri’s dream in the first place? In situations where the hints given by the details are matters of wide debate, the book ends as ambiguous as it’s dreamlike scenes, reverting back to normal into the obscurity of the night. It makes the readers wonder whether they have more answers than questions, and, in front of the titanic weight of the questions, the answers may seem dwarfed in comparison.
The eye of Murakami, as much as it is an object of revelation, is also a shroud that distorts the images presented. It can be inferred that the eye, as much as it is a significant tool of exposition, is also the author’s way of analogy into the process of narration and reading. It is direct, sharp and all knowing when allowed, but when restrained, it is as mortal as our very own eyes. The floating eye demonstrates to the readers just how vulnerable they are to the narrow viewpoints created by the books that they read, and how authors, like illusionists, only show the things which they desire the readers to see, while hiding the tricks of trade and the underlying truth and revelation that comes from it.
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