Saturday, September 11, 2021

Samsa in Love

image from Wikipedia

Samsa in Love is a 2013 short story by Haruki Murakami. It's a story of adapting to change. You can read it online at this link. It begins,
He woke to discover that he had undergone a metamorphosis and become Gregor Samsa.

He lay flat on his back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. It took time for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. The ceiling seemed to be a common, everyday ceiling of the sort one might find anywhere. Once, it had been painted white, or possibly a pale cream. Years of dust and dirt, however, had given it the color of spoiled milk. It had no ornament, no defining characteristic. No argument, no message. It fulfilled its structural role but aspired to nothing further.

There was a tall window on one side of the room, to his left, but its curtain had been removed and thick boards nailed across the frame. An inch or so of space had been left between the horizontal boards, whether on purpose or not wasn’t clear; rays of morning sun shone through, casting a row of bright parallel lines on the floor. Why was the window barricaded in such a rough fashion? Was a major storm or tornado in the offing? Or was it to keep someone from getting in? Or to prevent someone (him, perhaps?) from leaving?

Still on his back, he slowly turned his head and examined the rest of the room. He could see no furniture, apart from the bed on which he lay. No chest of drawers, no desk, no chair. No painting, clock, or mirror on the walls. No lamp or light. Nor could he make out any rug or carpet on the floor. Just bare wood. The walls were covered with wallpaper of a complex design, but it was so old and faded that in the weak light it was next to impossible to make out what the design was.

The room had perhaps once served as a normal bedroom. Yet now all vestiges of human life had been stripped away. The only thing that remained was his solitary bed in the center. And it had no bedding. No sheets, no coverlet, no pillow. Just an ancient mattress.

Samsa had no idea where he was, or what he should do. All he knew was that he was now a human whose name was Gregor Samsa. And how did he know that? Perhaps someone had whispered it in his ear while he lay sleeping? But who had he been before he became Gregor Samsa? What had he been?

16 comments:

  1. ...adapting to change can be difficult.

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    1. Change or die, but we do have trouble with it

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  2. No time to read it now, I want to get out in my garden for a bit. Not that I am really ambitious right now, truthfully. I am trying to get to understand Japanese writing better, so I will be back to read this. Happy Saturday!

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    1. This author is worth exploring. His novels are brilliant.

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  3. The other side of Metamorphosis. I didn't like Kafka's story and don't care for this one either.

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    1. Exactly. An interesting reflection on Kafka, I thought.

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  4. I'll read this when I get home today. Thanks for the link.

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    1. I hope you like it. Reviews in these comments are mixed ;)

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  5. So...??? Too many uanswered questions for me. Like a thin thought thread on a brief trip to nowhere.

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    1. I see it as a view on what it's like to adjust to radically changing circumstances and found it encouraging.

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  6. This sounds intriguing, thanks! Valerie

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  7. I always have trouble with Murakami. I've tried to like him and I just can't!

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    1. A short story might be the way in. His novels are dense and long.

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