So, I've finished reading this whopping 600 page epic!
And here's a couple of discussion questions for those of you who have already read this.
1. Do you think Creta Kano and Kumiko are actually the same person?
2. If so, why?
3. If not, what do you make, and how do you interpret, Creta Kano's one night stand with Toru Okada, and her wearing Kumiko's clothes, and having the exact same body shape etc.?
I wish that I brought my copy of this book along with me to college so that I would be able to reference it. I read it some time back and so I'm sure my literary analysis/recollection of the novel is nowhere as astute as yours.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that Creta Kano and Kumiko are the same person. I remember being torn about it at the time- considering the two women do have the same body type and very similar faces. However, to me it just wouldn’t make sense for them to be the same person.
Toru spends the novel searching for Kumiko and he longs to understand her. I believe that the main reason for having the one night stand with Creta Kano is because she is so similar to his wife. Even while he is having sex with Creta Kano, he is reminded of Kumiko. By being with someone who reminds him physically of Kumiko, maybe he is hoping to also reach some emotional understanding about his wife.
Also, Toru is extremely passive and constantly does what other people tell him to do. When Creta Kano tells him that she wants to sleep with him because it will lead her out of her life of prostitution, it only seems in Toru’s character to go along with it.
I also vaguely remember that Creta Kano told Toru that instead of giving her money for sex, to instead give her some of Kumiko’s clothing (I remember this scene because I remember thinking what an odd thing to ask. So this is the reason she wears Kumiko's clothes.