Haruki Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart explores the effects of traumatic experiences to demonstrate their potential damaging behavior. Through the deuterogamist, Miu, Murakami is able to construct a surreal effect that display Miu’s own construction of reality (??). In the midst of this, Miu’s transformation from a vehement to apathetic character demonstrates the dangers of allowing supremacist ideals dictate one’s life. More importantly, that of what is lost In Miu’s character finds an outlet in the permanence of the unconscious, ultimately leaving the strictest moral standard as the rationale for external reality. Given this, Murakami’s depiction of her change reveal that connection with others is only transient as long one acts according …show more content…
In the novel, Miu’s trip to the Greek islands with Sumire reveal Sumire’s most hidden desires, not only her love for Miu but also her sexual impulse she seems to associate with Miu. In the midst of comfort, Sumire is allowed to spend a night in Miu’s room. Sumire’s strong impulses though turn out to disappoint her, as she starts to unbutton the front of Miu’s pajamas, Miu attempts to stop her explaining to her the divergence from her mind and the body—the conscious and the unconscious. Sumire’s impulsive behavior, though does not allow her to accept this and demonstrates all kinds of existential stress, but Miu’s inability to comfort her confirm her loss of emotion. As Sumire leaves angrily, Miu’s conciseness reinforces its moralistic behavior, preventing her from chasing after Sumire. Even though Miu thinks about the possible relationship she can form with Sumire, it is evident that her loss of libido and any emotion associated with passion demonstrate the conscious acting as a force of repression towards pleasurable impulses by subduing the unconscious thoughts. Miu’s loss of the unconscious instincts is also demonstrated in her partnership with her husband. The relationship between the husband and herself demonstrate the apathetic character that she comes be, as she describes the relationship in terms of, “good friends […] who trust each other implicitly, […] but never make love” (160). The loss of the unconscious represent Mui’s loss of any sexual desire as she is scarred of the events at the Ferris wheel, leaving her with the guilt of the conscious as the moral dictator for external reality. Instead of love partners, their relationship comes to represent that of merely business associates as he takes over her father’s business after his death. In this way, Sputnik Sweetheart is expressive of the way that conscious works as a source of