Information of the Book
A 52 paged short story (Japanese paperback edition), the first section of Men Without Women. The content is not relevant to the Beatles’ song, Drive My Car. Or, concerning from the lyrics, this title is an irony to Kafuku.
Characters
Kafuku – A middle aged character actor. His main job is theatre actor, and not an actor can play a leading role in a TV drama or a movie. Sometimes he played a small part in TV drama and did a lecturer of an actor school. His driving licence was revoked by drunken driving and glaucoma, so he looked for a driver.
Misaki Watari – A 24 years old woman is from Hokkaido, 165cm tall, plenty long black hair was tied in back of her head, wasn’t fat but be sturdy. She wasn’t beautiful and was inelegant, had big eyes and ears, wore men’s jacket as a uniform of driver. She is from a rural mountain area of Hokkaido, so she started drive a car from middle of teenager, and must became a good driver. Her mother passed away by drunken driving.
Ex-wife of Kafuku – An orthodox and mainstream beautiful actress. They married when he was 29 years old and she passed away suddenly by an uterine cancer when he was 49 years old. She slept with at least four actors of which she co-stared.
Takatsuki – A handsome and tall actor, but his acting is not well and has no sense of existence, only acted roles of descent and bracing middle aged man.
Ohba – The owner and a skilled repairman of a car repair shop.
Music
Beethoven Strings Quartets
The Beach Boys
The Rascals
Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Temptations
Key Elements
Car – Car is machine, but driving reflects one’s personality and characteristics. Kafuku thinks women’s drivings are either too rough or too careful, also he found a sign of tension from woman can drive usually.
Yellow Saab 900 Convertible – Kafuku’s own car. The car made in Sweden of the age is made durable. He had driven the car for 12 years and the running distance is over 100,000 km. The car was exhausted but he loved the car. He liked driving opening the roof and operate the manual shift, and when he wait for a traffic light he enjoyed to see sky, clouds and birds.
Cassette Tape – On Norwegian Wood, record implies incoherence and instability of human mind. Cassette Tape may imply stability and persistence of Kafuku.
Marlboro Cigarette – Misaki’s favorite tobacco brand. Originally Marlboro was made as a brand for women by Phillip Morris, but it became a symbol of cigarettes and the American masculinity and culture.
Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov
Timeline
Kafuku was unexpectedly invited a student troupe by a girl, and he found he enjoyed himself acting.
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When he was 29 years old, Kafuku married with his wife, an orthodox beautiful actress.
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Kafuku’s child passed away, he lived only three days.
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After Kafuku and his wife had decided to not make a child, she started sleep with actors.
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Takatsuki slept with the wife several times.
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Just before her passed away, the wife said good-bye to Takatsuki.
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When Kafuku was 49 years old, the wife suddenly passed away by an uterine cancer.
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After the half a year to the passed away, Kafuku came across Takatsuki at a robby of a TV station and they started go around, met at bars, drunk and talked about Kafuku’s wife.
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After the half a year to the come across, they didn’t meet suddenly.
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10 years after, Kafuku’s driving licence was revoked by drunken driving and glaucoma.
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Kafuku looked for a driver and hired Misaki Watari as a driver.
Plot & Episodes
Kafuku thinks women’s drivings are either too rough or too careful.
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Kafuku looked for a driver of his car.
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Ohba introduced a woman Misaki Watari as a driver.
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Misaki did a test drive with Kafuku at the central part of Tokyo. She accepted the job.
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Misaki drove Kafuku to a theatre in Ginza or TV stations.
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When he sat the side seat, he remembered his ex-wife, an orthodox beautiful actress passed away.
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2 months later, Misaki asked why Kafuku didn’t make friends. Kafuku said he made a kind of friend 10 years ago.
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Kafuku remembered the relationship with an actor Takatsuki. They drunk and talked about the wife.
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Kafuku and Takatsuki went around for half a year, didn’t meet suddenly.
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In Kafuku’s car, he and Misaki talked about Takatsuki and the wife.
Summaries of Each Parts
pp. 19 – 21
Kafuku thinks women’s drivings are either too rough or too careful, also he found a sign of tension in woman can drive usually. There’s no tension like this in Men’s drivings. Men can divide naturally the tension and being of self.
pp. 22 – 23
So Kakufu puzzled that a veteran skilled repairman Ohba recommended a middle twenties woman Misaki Watari as his driver. Ohaba said she was not beautiful and inelegant, and smoked cigarets profusely.
pp. 23 – 32
Kafuku’s yellow Saab 900 convertible was repaired and refined completely. When Ohba explained the details of the bill to Kafuku, Misaki arrived the factory. Kafuku tested Misaki, they drove the central area of Tokyo. He found Misaki drove relaxingly and naturally. When she waited for a traffic light she smoked Marlboro cigarettes. Misaki said she is from a mountain area of Hokkaido, so she had drove car from middle of teenage and her skill of driving became good. They talked about Kafuku’s minor collision and glaucoma.
pp. 32 – 38
Misaki drove Kafuku from his home in Ebisu to a theatre in Ginza. During the drivings Kafuku recited his lines. On the way home, Kafuku listened Beethoven’s Strings Quartets and old pop music. Misaki wasn’t conscious to his recitation and music, she was looked like in a kind of state of zen is made by driving. When he sat the side seat, sometimes he remembered his wife had passed away. Somehow she slept with at least four actors of which she play together. But Kafuku and his wife lived together and slept with usually.
pp. 38 – 40
Misaki was 24 years old. And she was the age to Kafuku’s child lived only 3 days. Kafuku and his wife were very shocked and they were completely absorbed in their job of acting. They decided they didn’t make a child, and she might begin to slept with actors.
pp. 40 – 48
Misaki asked why Kafuku became actor. Kafuku said he was unexpectedly invited a student troupe by a girl, and he found he enjoyed himself acting, and he can become someone by acting and return himself. Then Misaki asked why Kafuku did make friends. Kafuku said he made a kind of friend ten years before, after his wife had passed away, and his name is Takatsuki, a handsome actor must sleep with her several times. They got along in halves of real friend and acting.
pp. 48 – 51
After the passed away of his wife, Kafuku came across Takatsuki at a robby of TV station. He invited Takatsuki to drink and talk about his wife.
pp. 51 – 55
They drank and talked with her wife at a booth of a famous bar in Ginza. Kafuku had a goodwill with him. And they promised to meet again.
pp. 56 – 61
They became friendly drinking companions. At a night, they drank at a small bar in Aoyama. Kafuku said he lost his wife completely and he couldn’t really understand the important part of her, it’s a blink point. And Takatsuki said we (men) can’t completely understand what women think, and to watch others certainly we must only reflect ourselves profoundly.
pp. 62 – 71
(…)
Remarks
- Themes of this story is the differences between men and women, driving as a spiritual activity and acting as a common activity.
- This story is a story about (a) machine. And car is not only a machine, one’s driving reflects human mind, sensibility, characteristics and personality.
- Driving car in this novel is a psychological and spiritual activity. It is like playing a musical instrument, a communication to the environment or the world, a reflection to self and a spiritual treatment for one’s mind.
- The notion by Kafuku on first part, suggests women can’t separate consciousness and action, and mind and body while an activity.
- So women can truly act a roll of a drama.
- Also this story is a story about actor and acting. And acting is a psychological and spiritual activity too. Kafuku said he can became someone by acting and it’s fun, and all people play roles. On Novelist as a Profession Murakami wrote he can become someone by writing novel.
- Actor is a symbol of today’s people. He act a roll made by other(s). We all act social rolls, but by the rolls anyones lost their true selves. It’s essential problem in the contemporary world.
- Watari Misaki is a person can across men and women. She is inelegant and manly woman, can understand the minds each of men and women. Watari in Japanese means “go across” or “cross over”, and Misaki means “cape”. And her favourite Marlboro cigarette is the symbol of American masculinity.
Details of the Book
Men Without Women
Haruki Murakami
Bungeishunju, Tokyo, 7 October 2016
300 pages, JPY 748
ISBN: 978-4167907082
Men Without Women: Stories
Haruki Murakami (Author), Philip Gabriel (Translator), Ted Goossen (Translator)
Vintage, London, 17 May 2018
240 pages, £9.99
ISBN: 9781784705374
Contents:
- Drive My Car
- Yesterday
- An Independent Organ
- Cheherazade
- Kino
- Samsa in Love
- Men Without Women
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