Critical Analysis

 The Boy Named Crow

[Excerpt from Kafka on the Shore]

by Haruki Murakami

In 2002,Kafka on the Shore was published. The Boy Named Crow is an excerpt of it,that is known for a great literary piece. The author behind the work is Haruki Murakami. He was a Japanese writer,born on January 12, 1949. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally. His works are defined as surrealistic and melancholic or fatalistic. His piece;The Boy Named Crow is a surrealism type of excerpt that tackles about the reality of life. It gives a certain realization on how life play its game. This work tells people on how to deal with different struggles in life.

The Boy Named Crow is a piece that focuses on the life of the boy named Kafra Tamura. The boy is planning and preparing to run away from his home which is located in Tokyo. All of his plan was being told by his imaginary friend,which is a crow. His plans won't be achieve if there is no money that is allocated in it. His imaginary friend told him that he should get his money,it told him that it doesn't just pop up like a mushroom. The crow helped the boy to make his decision upon planning to run away. The crow said that the boy must be the toughest fifteen years old. His imaginary friend shows the reality of world outside. It made him think about a sandstorm,that will symbolize the fate of the young boy. The crow gives an advice on how to deal with the strong sandstorm that will come and follow whenever the boy would go. But one thing is for sure,the storm isn’t something that blew in from far away,something that has nothing to do with Kafka. That storm is him,something inside himself.

The story gives focus to what is the reality of life outside people's comfort zone. It enlightens people about the different struggles and problems that will eventually an ordinary people would encounter. This story tells that running away from problems will not solve it. Sometimes the only way for it to settle is to step into it,face it and deal with it. The story's style of touching the soul of the readers is surrealism. It has the combination of fantasy and reality. It made a way for the author to burst out different expression and emotion in the way of surrealism. This story gives a huge impact to people in this modern society,especially teenagers.It has a message that teenagers can use in their decisions in life.

In conclusion,The Boy Named Crow gives lesson to the audiences that can relate in problems that life throw to people. It serves as a guide through the path of challenges in life. It can influence mostly the teenagers to face and deal with their problems. This story shows that instead of running away from the chaotic world,we should learn how to embrace it and go with its flow.