Mini Commentary!♥

After Dark Passage:

"On her table is a coffee cup. And an ashtray. Next to the ashtray, a navy blue baseball cap with a Boston Red Sox 'B.' It might be a little too large for her head. A brown leather shoulder bag rests on the seat next to her. It bulges as if its contents had been thrown in on the spur of the moment. She reaches out at regular intervals and brings the coffee cup to her mouth, but she doesn't appear to be enjoying the flavor. She drinks because she has a coffee cup in front of her: that is her role as a customer."

What is Murakami trying to achieve with his use of language in this passage?

Murakami’s style creates an awkward and mysterious mood, which reflects the type of language he uses in this passage. There are many incomplete sentences that the author uses such as, “Next to the ashtray, a navy blue baseball cap with a Boston Red Sox ‘B’.” This creates a sense of awkwardness since the sentences are short and choppy. He sometimes begins his sentences with conjunctions, for example, when he writes, “And an ashtray.” Again this is a different way of writing and therefore makes the reader feel uncomfortable, which is exactly what Murakami intends. He also has no transitions between his ideas; he moves from one idea to another without linking them together. “It might be a little to large for her head. A brown leather shoulder bag rests on the seat next to her.” The fact that he does not include transitions makes the ideas more mysterious to the reader and creates a sense of curiosity. The precise language techniques that Murakami uses reflect the uncomfortable feeling that the reader is left with.