Haruki Murakami's "U.F.O in Kushiro" and its Inspiration
Haruki Murakami drew inspiration from actual occurrences surrounding the 1995 earthquake in Japan for his short story "U.F. O in Kushiro." According to reports, the traumatic incident claimed the lives of several residents of the Kobe region of contemporary Japan. Despite the distressing circumstances, Haruki Murakami has succeeded in exposing the circumstances surrounding the tragedy through the effective use of the book's characters. The characters in the short story are plagued by the earthquake tragedy, particularly Komura and his wife. Moreover, the characters are subject to sudden changes in the lifestyle patterns as a result of the incident. Komura, is particularly at the receiving end of the events in relation to the earthquake.
Komura's Struggle and Concern for His Wife
Komura, a main character in the short story is a man who suffers from the effects of the events of the earthquake. Despite just having a wife and no child, Komura is a caring family man. In the first paragraph of the short story, Komura was concerned about the condition of his wife although the post events of the earthquake had disturbed the mental and psychological state of his wife. As a caring family man, Komura kept von asking his wife questions so as to deter her mind from continuously thinking about the events relating to the earthquake. Komura was perturbed by the condition of his wife as he was not sure whether she was attentive nor she did hear what he was telling her. Moreover, his wife stared in a trance on more than one occasion yet she sat next to a television.
Komura's Hardworking Nature and Job
Komura is a hardworking man. Despite earning a rather sizable amount of money as a monthly salary, he dealt with high-end equipment at his place of work. Having worked for approximately eight years, Komura had established a good rapport and business relations with the doctors and the rich merchants as well wealthy senior administrators in the city. The rising state of the economy ensured he earned a right amount of money inclusive of the commission from sales. The nature of his job as a salesman played a pivotal role in ensuring he built a good rapport with varied people in different job positions within the city. Komura's hardworking nature was essential in ensuring he became a prominent seller. Luckily, he dealt with expensive electronics which found their way from the suppliers to the customers with ease.
Komura's Ability to Easily Get Along with People
As a main character in the short story, Komura was easy going; the fact that he got along with varied people in his working years, his pre-and post-marriage days and after the divorce with his wife underlines the significance of this issue. Sasaki, a man and a workmate to Komura rarely had a good rapport with people as a result of his talkative nature, and the overconfidence air that surrounded him was able to connect and get along with Komura easily. Moreover, the ability to easily get along with people ensured Komura got permission from work at any given time without worries of being denied the opportunity. Besides, his accustomed nature of getting along easily with people ensured he maintained a good relationship with the wealthy population in the society such as the doctors and the businessmen. Similarly, the ability to easily get along with people ensured several ladies loved Komura during his bachelorhood days.
Komura's Faithfulness in Work and Relationships
Albeit the dynamic nature of the society, Komura was a faithful man. He remained loyal to his employer since the day he was employed. Komura's manager trusted him very much and granted him permission from work whenever he requested. The clients of the company stuck with the firm and formed a formidable relationship with Komura due to his hard work, easy going nature and faithfulness about the sales job. After marriage, Komura remained faithful to the wife even though she proved to be difficult to deal with for her sullen and quiet nature made it difficult to construct and engage her in a conversation. Komura cut ties with the long string of ladies he had before his marriage life, and he focused on his wife about sexual intercourse and flattery. Moreover, in the aftermath of the earthquake, Komura paid little or no attention to the death toll but only to his gone wife. Komura failed to indulge in sexual intercourse with Shimao and other women who made advances towards him; this was because he loved his wife and Komura did not think of the prospect of cheating on her.
Komura's Moments of Giving Up
Komura likes giving up. Even though Komura was satisfied her wife did not have anyone likely to be a victim in the earthquake tragedy, he gave up in making the continuous inquiry on what perturbed his wife. Komura decided against pushing his wife into preparing breakfast for him since he gave up on finding out what made her sad. In return, he sought to make breakfast for himself leaving his wife to deal with her problems. Also, Komura gave up on having sex with Shimao after several attempts of nailing her failed. Moreover, he gave up on chasing after his wife although she had left him a note forbidding him from going after her.
Komura's Attractiveness and Role in the Story
Komura is attractive, in his young years, Komura drew attraction of several ladies who sought him for his attractiveness. Komura's beautiful nature played a key role in ensuring his sexual life before his marriage was adventurous. Although Komura was married, several women tried to make advances to him, a fact that is attributable to his beautiful nature. Shimao found Komura to be attractive and in return fell in love with him at first sight. Komura's attractiveness led Shimao into trapping Komura with an opportunity and arousing original stories to lure him into having sex with her. Moreover, Shimao believed several women would love to play second fiddle role of being a second wife to Komura since he was easy going and attractive. Despite the fact that Komura's wife was sullen and unattractive, many people believed she was not the perfect match for Komura because of his warm and attractive nature.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the book UFO in Kushiro by Haruki Murakami provides insight about the experiences faced by Komura, the main character. Although the short story resonates from the real ordeals about the earthquake event that occurred in the town of Kobe in present Japan, it has achieved the objective of portraying the effect the event had on different people. Komura, the main character is subjected to various conditions both before and after the departure of his wife. Because of his hardworking nature and faithfulness, he remains to be an important yet respected person in the workplace. Besides, Komura easily gets along with people; this resulted in Sasaki sending him with a parcel that was necessary to be delivered in person rather than through the post office.
Works Cited
Murakami, Haruki. "UFO in Kushiro." 19 March 2001. The New Yorker. Document. 22 June 2017. .
