Fate and Prophecy Theme Analysis

In the surreal world of Kafka on the Shore, characters may have a hard time understanding not only strange phenomena and encounters in the world, but also their own inner experiences and behavior. Some characters, and especially Kafka, feel as if the world and their own futures must be governed by inescapable prophecies. Meanwhile, other characters feel that they are destined to carry out special missions, or fall in love or die at specific moments. The possibility of a destined path might offer solace, but it can also be ominous. Whether or not “fate” truly exists, belief in fate drives the characters in Kafka in the Shore to behave in such ways that render the question irrelevant, as they ultimately fulfill their own imagined prophecies. Thus, Murakami shows that belief in fate is what makes fate real, and prophecies self-fulfilling.

Kafka is driven, to the point of obsession, by a “prophecy” delivered by his father: that Kafka will murder his father, and have sex with his mother and older sister. Kafka is tormented by the prophecy, and believes himself to be fighting or fulfilling it at almost every turn. Kafka’s own “prophecy” parallels a famous prophecy from the myth of Oedipus, in which an oracle correctly predicts that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. Kafka frequently references the story of Oedipus, turning the myth into a kind of roadmap guiding his own life. When the news comes that Kafka’s father has mysteriously been murdered, Kafka strongly feels that he is responsible, even though he has no memory of committing the murder and was hundreds of miles away at the time. Kafka is convinced that the sheer power of his dreams and desires makes him responsible for his father’s death. In a further manifestation of the prophecy’s power over Kafka’s thought, Kafka imagines that Sakura, a girl he met on a train, is his sister, despite little evidence (and the fact that she has a different name from Kafka’s sister). As a result, he is confused by their brief sexual encounter and tormented by erotic dreams and the belief that he will rape Sakura. Thus, Kafka’s relationship with Sakura is tinged with guilt and anguish because of his intense belief in fate and prophecy. Kafka’s second and far more intense relationship in the book is with Miss Saeki, a middle aged woman whom he believes to be his mother—again, despite the fact that he has no real evidence to support this theory. Kafka falls madly in love with Miss Saeki and begins an intense affair with her, casting her as both his lover and his mother. Kafka lets his belief in the Oedipal prophecy guide him into relationships that he believes are wrong, because he feels he has no power to resist.

Apart from Kafka’s obsession with his family prophecy, many other characters feel that they are destined to be with certain others. As a result, they ascribe special significance to the strangers they meet, and allow new relationships to totally alter their plans. For example, Kafka assigns deep significance to new friendships, in part because he is searching for his lost family. When he meets Sakura by chance, he becomes convinced that they share a special connection. Much as Kafka casts new acquaintances in the roles of his lost family members, Hoshino is drawn to Nakata because Nakata reminds him of his beloved deceased grandfather. This imaginary relationship is so strong that Hoshino abandons his day-to-day life in order to assist Nakata on his mysterious quest, even as it grows increasingly surreal. Finally, Miss Saeki believes that she and her childhood sweetheart were destined to be together—so much so that she was never able to recover from his premature death. She is drawn to Kafka because he seems to her to be a reincarnation of her boyfriend, and begins a relationship with him because of this. Throughout the novel, characters are drawn into incongruous, sometimes unhealthy, relationships, and onto strange new paths because of their beliefs in fated relationships.

A serious belief in fate can lead characters to think they can predict the future—and, in Murakami’s surrealist vision, this is sometimes true. This strengthens the illusion that the world is governed by fate and life’s outcomes predetermined. However, reliance on this belief in predetermination also makes characters dangerously oblivious to the unpredictable nature of life, and the possibility of sudden death. Nakata, for instance, begins to predict bizarre weather events, such as storms of fish and leeches falling from the sky, or continuous lightning strikes. When these predictions come true, Nakata gains confidence that his quest will be successful. This firm belief is undercut when Nakata dies suddenly, before the quest can be completed. Nakata’s death demonstrates that, even in a world where special powers of prediction exist, it is actually impossible for humans to know the future. Miss Saeki and Oshima both believe that they know exactly when they will die. This belief leads them to live fearlessly during their allotted time and take care of important matters without delay. But more importantly, both characters are reckless and take unnecessary risks because they believe they can know the details of their own deaths. Thus, belief in fate blinds characters not just to the unpredictable nature of life, but also to the possibility of unexpected death.

Because the characters in this novel are obsessed by fate and prediction, they let their beliefs about the future govern their life choices and relationships in aware and unaware ways. This warped sense of reality leads characters to put themselves in dangerous situations or unhappy relationships because they believe they are forced to by a predetermined fate. Murakami shows that reliance on belief in fate prevents people from making rational choices, and in fact can lead them to feel trapped in situations where they actually do have a choice.