The Boy Named Crow: Critical Analysis

         The Boy Name Crow is an excerpt from the novel Kafka on the Shore written by Haruki Murakami. Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer born on January 12, 1949. He is now 70 years of age. He was a product of World War I and was influenced by a surrealist writer, Franz Kafka. His works were translated to 50 other languages and millions of copies were sold in his country.

        

          

         His excerpt “The Boy Named Crow” was published in 2002 in the Japanese language and 2005 in the English language. It was all about a boy named Kafka planning to run away from home. He plans to sail far away and live in a small library. But his other self, which is the boy named Crow, advises him to think before doing such action. He has to be the toughest 15-year-old there, Crow says. Kafka was also Crow. In the Czech Republic, a kavka is a bird that looks like a crow. Kavka is almost similar to the boy’s name (Kafka), and of course to his other self, Crow. The genre of this excerpt is fantasy fiction which is related to surrealism.

         Upon reading this story, I was a little bit confused because I can’t understand what the story was trying to portray. It was very implicit and hard to understand. Of course, when you read it for the first time, you wouldn’t know that Kafka was also Crow. So as I read it, I had to use my critical thinking to identify its hidden messages. The text’s style was unique. I haven’t read any story like this so far, and it amazed me as well. I did not realize that it was also himself who gave pieces of advice. It was effective for me particularly when Crow gave an advice about the sandstorm. If you would look into the deeper meaning of the sandstorm, that sandstorm is the struggles, challenges, obstacles, and problems you have to face in life. That sandstorm is YOU. We all have those, and you can’t just escape by running away. The more you run, the more it chases us. You have to be brave enough to face it, and in that way, you can overcome it. And once the problems are over, you will never remember how you struggled and survived. But, one thing’s for sure, you’ll be different from what you were before; stronger, tougher, and wiser version of yourself indeed.

         I haven’t experienced a situation like Kafka’s, I’m sure that this text had a great impact to other readers. In addition to the lesson you could obtain in the story, it is also somehow related to what other teenagers experience in reality. Some teenagers prefer to live independently because they want to decide for themselves, and they want freedom. Thinking wisely, running away from home does not make you free. Yes, you could be free and happy, but it will be only temporary. Your resources will be used up soon. If you really want to solve your problems, better deal with it. Remember, life is such a tricky game that will have different levels. Sometimes, it’s easy to live. Sometimes, it’s hard that you just want to give up. But if you want to survive, learn how to play the game.