68Tianji Li
Lit Trans 368: Contemporary Japanese Novels
April 16, 2012

Conflict and Unity of Hashi and Kiku’s Personalities That world is affectation, nakedness, bloodiness, solitude and darkness. Murakami creates a chaotic world that born two boys from the coin lockers and finally the sick and perverted personalities destroyed Hashi and guided Kiku to destroy the dark Tokyo city. When we first read the Coin Locker Babies, we are certainly motivated by Murakami’s straightforward. Drug addicts, homosexuals and gun smugglers filled the Tokyo’s underground. However, the most impressive element in the novel is Hashi and Kiku’s opposite personalities. Although Hashi and Kiku grew up together from same orphanage and family until their teenage, their attitude to the world and themselves are completely different. The question frustrates me from very early in the book until I finished book is: Why Murakami were trying to create two opposite characteristics? Are there some reasons that Murakami could not express his idea in only one character? From my point of view, Hashi and Kiku could be described as a same character with a dual personality. However, then the story would not have enough depth to illustrate each personality’s to distinguish them. So Murakami may decide to separate it and explore the ultimate depth of two totally contradict characteristics. Hashi and Kiku’s contradiction emotions are due to the lack of maternal love. The treatment from a psychiatrist help Hashi and Kiku to suppress their demand on it, but that power that has never been released gradually aggregates their inner aggressive personality. On the other hand, Murakami gives Hashi more female aspect of personality and physical characteristics but Kiku more male aspect. Murakami’s idea is very condensed. Two characters include both male and female physical and mental qualities, and also aggressive and passive attitude to the surrounding.