1. Minor Characters and the Hero
Hero’s Journey
Minor Characters and the Hero

2. The Hero
Hero: “The Hero is the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand - to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World’s balance. We experience the Journey through the eyes of the Hero.”

3. Minor Characters- Hero’s Road
Mentor: “The Mentor provides motivation, insights and training to help the Hero.” Threshold Guardian: “Threshold Guardians protect the Special World and its secrets from the Hero, and provide essential tests to prove a Hero’s commitment and worth.” Herald: “Herald characters issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change. They can make their appearance anytime during a Journey, but often appear at the beginning of the Journey to announce a Call to Adventure. A character may wear the Herald’s mask to make an announcement or judgment, report a news flash, or simply deliver a message.”

4. Minor Characters- Hero’s Road
Shapeshifter: “The Shapeshifter’s mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character’s intentions and loyalties.” Shadow: “The Shadow can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities. It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias. Shadows may not be all bad, and may reveal admirable, even redeeming qualities. The Hero’s enemies and villains often wear the Shadow mask. This physical force is determined to destroy the Hero and his cause.”

5. Minor Characters: Hero’s Road
Trickster: “Tricksters relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World into chaos with their quick turns of phrase and physical antics. Although they may not change during the course of their Journeys, their world and its inhabitants are transformed by their antics. The Trickster uses laughter [and ridicule] to make characters see the absurdity of the situation, and perhaps force a change.

6. Themes: WuBC
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a big ambitious book clearly intended to establish Murakami as a major figure in world literature covering a wide spectrum of heavy subjects. The themes will correspond to the hero’s struggle for understanding on his journey to complete the mission and will assist both him and you to understand the new world order after the mission.

7. Themes: WuBC -The transitory nature of romantic love
In any relationship love waxes and wanes – “It is its nature”
Hero’s Journey questions he must answer:
Do we ever really know the person that we “love”?
Does “love” really exist, or is it only physical need?
Can you love someone when you don’t love yourself?
Can love be eternal?
Is there such a thing as spiritual love, and where does it reside (soul/after-life)?

8. Theme: WuBC
The evil vacuity of contemporary politics- Modern man vs. society (norms) Is success more important than peace of mind? Should profit take greater weigh than creativity? Work systems vs. measure of a man Should those who hold all the power make all the rules?

9. Themes
The most provocative theme for Marukami to cover as a Japanese writer in the novel was: The legacy of Japan's violent aggression in World War II Does acknowledgement of the horrors committed in the name of statehood during war, devalue the honors of that nation, as a whole ? As individuals? How much is too much for a country to ask of its citizens?

10. Symbolism WuBC
Cat (Noboru Wataya)- The cat is a symbol of the domestic harmony that Tōru and Kumiko have established in their six years together. Tōru's attempt in the novel to find his missing cat and wife is an attempt to hold some semblance of reality together.
The Wind-up Bird
Clothing- Every character is, to one extent or another, defined according to his/her wardrobe

11. Symbolism Healing and Wholeness: Yin/Yang and the Promise of Balance
Binary opposites are introduced: good and evil, light and dark, wet and dry, male and female.
The suggestion is made that the path to healing and wholeness is somehow to be achieved through the act of restoring balance.

12. Reflection response
Let’s look at what a reflection writing should be… How was your understanding of the cultural and contextual considerations of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle developed through our discussions?