Kafka and Murakami: Two Tellings of Greek Tragedy - Thomas

The fact that the oldest tragedy is a tale of father and son conflicting with one another is unsurprising. Nor is it surprising that Kafka and Murakami both craft their own versions of the tale, given that each had an arduous and distant relationship with their fathers. Kafka and Murakami each wrote a retelling and interpretation of one of the original Greek tragedies: Oedipus Rex. The Metamorphosis and Kafka on the Shore are two stories about the oppression of sons under fathers who wish only to be rid of them. The Metamorphosis shows the reversal of roles as the son takes over for the father as the provider for his home only to be struck by affliction; maybe divine punishment because of the unnatural reversal of roles. Kafka on the Shore shows the distancing of son and father and posits that the crossroads of destiny are labyrinthian, and Kafka is haunted by the manifestation of this destiny: Crow.

This notion of oedipal strife is the driving force behind both tales. Sons and fathers in discord with one another; one destined to kill the other. Kafka tells his tale as the unnatural metamorphosis of a son replacing his father only to be corrupted and ultimately slain by his father, a reversal of Oedipus’s tale. While Murakami takes his own approach and has the father and son in the traditional conflict only to have his character Kafka ultimately free of the sin of patricide. The burden is instead passed to another who has already paid his price: Nakata

To continue this idea that The Metamorphosis and Kafka on the Shore are both renditions of Greek tragedy, each character possesses their own chorus: Samsa has his sister and later entire family, and Kafka has Crow. Each narrates and reveals the inner machinations of the characters. Additionally, themes of strife and discord are abundant throughout both tales. Samsa’s father pelts him with apples marking the beginning of true conflict between the two. Much like Eris throwing her apple and beginning the Trojan War, Kafka has his father figure throw the first “stone”. Murakami has his Kafka bound in the web of fate struggling to find himself in light of his apparent destiny.

    Each undergoes transformation, self-discovery, and alienation. In the end, the conflict ends as a tragedy must, with death and loss. Samsa is slain by his father, and Murakami’s Kafka’s father is slain. While Kafka on the Shore may not be a fully Kafkaesque novel, it holds to many of Kafka’s themes and motifs. Kafka crafted a haunting tale showing how easily the bonds of family are broken, and Murakami crafts his version of a Bildungsroman about how tragedy can lead to freedom. Samsa was a martyr for his family and Kafka’s father was a martyr for his son. Thus the tale of the oldest tragedy has been warped into two unique retellings true to their creators' styles.