IB Lit: The Elephant Vanishes Final

Thursday, September 28

1. Discuss the tension between Japanese society and the characters in Murakami’s stories. Why would Murakami seek to portray such a rift?
2. How does the lack of character detail affect the stories themselves? If this puts a greater emphasis on the stories’ thematic elements, then what purposes do the characters serve?
3. Discuss the magical/surreal elements of Murakami’s stories. How do such elements affect readers’ understanding of contemporary reality?
4. Literature alludes to myths, folk tales, superstitions, and other cultural touchstones regularly, sometimes even coincidentally or accidentally. How does what some critics call Murakami’s “attack on the cultural connotation of dreams” illustrate the divide between modernity and tradition?