Sex and Women in Norwegian Wood - Seema

I have mixed feelings on Norwegian wood. It's impossible to not address the way Murakami approaches sex and women. I liked Wild Sheep Chase more in comparison. I do believe Murakami attempted to craft a narrative of a man's coming of age and personal and emotional growth, at times the book comes off as borderline perverted. While I do believe sex is a natural aspect of growing older, this book is over saturated with sex to the point where it flattens the characters and the narrative. Midori's character is marked by her overt sexual nature, to the point where it diminishes her other characteristics. I wish this book fleshed out her character more. I wanted to know why she chose to lie about her father, and I wish there was more introspection on her character. Rather she came across as a very hot and bothered teenager. 

 

Sex acts as the binding agent between the characters in this book. It does strip them of their relations with each other and boils them down to people who have had sexual relations with each other. It does break down social barriers and allow us to look at the relationships we have with each other in a holistic manner. It does act as a signifier of one's role in this book. Midori is the true Manic Pixie dream girl. Naoko is the elusive yet desired dream woman who is haunted by her demons. Reiko is the older woman with subtle sexual tension role in this book.