I liked the message that “War Bride” was trying to convey, that words can sometimes hurt more than actions. The line “Things that have no meaning are bound to be less damaging than things that do” stood out to me. The protagonist is deeply afraid of hurting others because she understands how lasting pain can be, especially the kind caused by words. “When you're hurt, you're hurt forever.” “A single experience of pain sets off an endless process- you relive the pain every moment of your life. Though the mind may rationalize it as a thing of the past, sorrow returns again and again.” I interpreted this passage as conveying the nature of trauma. Having experienced word-induced trauma herself, the girl fears inflicting it on others. As a result, she learns to cope by staying silent, choosing not to be a burden to anyone. The story also explores the idea of believing your trauma will never fade, yet slowly learning how to live with it. I found the ending especially poetic, she understands the weight of words from a young age and chooses silence, even in the face of immense loss, such as her child’s death.
“A Poor Aunt Story” was my favorite piece. I loved the way Murakami set the scene in the first few pages, how the story begins so suddenly, with the narrator feeling an unexpected urge to write about a “poor aunt.” At first, I thought the poor aunt was just a metaphor for an idea she wanted to express, but as the story went on, it seemed that the narrator truly believed there was a poor aunt on her back. I wondered why this image seemed to change shape for different people. Is the “poor aunt” just words? I think the story suggests that words, and the images they create, can become so vivid that once you imagine them, you can’t easily get rid of them, like a lingering memory. What I enjoyed the most was Murakami’s ability to take such an ordinary and strange idea and turn it into something beautiful. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end.
I found “The Great Passage” quite interesting. “If some definitions weren’t quite successful, he liked the way they at least made a good effort.”: I found the narrator’s view of dictionaries as imperfect, “at least they made a good effort”, particularly intresting because I’ve always thought of dictionaries as the epitome of correctness, since they define words. The story started off rather slow with its detailed descriptions of dictionaries, and I initially thought I might not enjoy it, but by the end it became a very heartwarming story. I found myself intrigued by Majime's character.
I didn’t think I would enjoy “The Fall of Language in the Age of English” at first, since it initially read like an academic paper. However, I actually found it very interesting, especially the discussion about how science and mass-produced goods, essentially faster dopamine and entertainment, contribute to the downfall of the humanities. The author counters this idea by arguing that literature allows for the proposal of questions and the exploration of ambiguity, something science does not allow. I also found the emphasis on the world entering the “age of English” due to its dominance in academia particularly interesting, as well as the point that machine translation will never truly reach the standards of human translation. This reading reminded me a lot of last week’s “Self-Reference Engine,” though I personally found this one more engaging.
“The Emissary” was an interesting contrast to “The Fall of Language in the Age of English.” It takes place in a setting where people no longer study English and where Japan has attempted to erase all traces of Western influence, essentially closing off the country completely. I liked the dystopian atmosphere of the story, such as the absence of telephones. I also enjoyed the ending, particularly the description of Marika, whom I found to be a very intriguing character.
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