A Wild Sheep Chase
A Wild Sheep Chase: perhaps the weirdest book I’ve ever read.
Following the life of one unnamed narrator, the book covers his travel as he tracks down a magical sheep capable of possession. A magical sheep you say? What nonsense! But is it really all that strange?
A Wild Sheep Chase was written by Haruki Murakami is 1982. Having grown up in Japan, he was immersed in their culture. As a result, regardless of how much his novels tend to appeal to western readers, they are, in essence, deeply rooted in Japanese culture - a culture which thrives in a framework where everything is alive, be it the people or the rocks. They are, from my western point of view, more spiritual in this sense. Conversely, as westerners, we have a habit of separating everything into either the natural or the supernatural. There is no in-between. In this sense, we are more materialistic. What we might view as the “supernatural” may be viewed as a continuum of the natural in Japan. When taking A Wild Sheep Chase into consideration, then, one may find that the sheep, rather than being viewed as something supernatural, may be instead be seen as simply a powerful force. Thus, a sheep having the ability of possession may not be all that crazy.
Similarly, in western culture, we often view good and evil as separate entities. We are bombarded with ideas of hero’s journey, whereby the protagonist, the “good” side, vanquishes the villain, the “evil” side. Yet should one make this assumption while reading a Japanese horror story like A Wild Sheep Chase, they would be quickly mislead. This is due to another aspect of that worldview: balance. Much like how I wouldn’t say the sheep is a supernatural being, I also wouldn’t say it is pure evil. Yes, it possessed people, but was there truly ill intent? We know little of the sheep’s motivations without having spoken to it ourselves. All we know is that for one reason or another, perhaps because this is what came naturally to the sheep, it took control of people and with their influence created somewhat of an empire. In doing so, it proved itself as a force to be reckoned with. But note that it was never described as something evil, for good and evil are two sides of the same coin. They thus must always stay in balance. When the sheep was seemingly defeated, no big wave of oppression disappeared, nor did some big revelation come about. In fact, those who had been chasing the sheep all this time were disappointed. It is clear then, that, in contrast to western stories, Japanese stories don’t always have to end with the good side defeating the evil, but rather both sides remaining in balance.
A Wild Sheep Chase contrasts sharply with that of many western tropes in a variety of ways, many that I will not be going on to list today. However, no matter the number of differences, the conclusion remains the same: assumptions hinder one’s ability see reality as it is. Through reading this novel, I saw the tropes I often see flipped on its head, my own assumptions proved wrong. Knowing it was a horror story, I kept waiting for the sheep to kill everyone, but it never happened. I held on tightly to this idea that the sheep was the bad guy, but it never really was. By assuming this, I had an entirely biased idea of what the sheep represented, only to be shocked back into reality. Luckily for me, I was only reading a book. But how does this apply to real life?
We make assumptions about not only the people we meet, but also the information and news we encounter every day. What notions are these opinions based on? Objective reality and evidence or our personal experiences and stereotypes that may or may not hold true? How accurately am I actually viewing the world? These are the questions I ask myself every day. I hope I am not alone.
Don’t hold on to your assumptions. They are a barrier to reality and a habit by which we filter our existence. Wake up! Read about different cultures. I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and start seeing the truth. I know I will be.
A Wild Sheep Chase: perhaps the weirdest book I’ve ever read.
Following the life of one unnamed narrator, the book covers his travel as he tracks down a magical sheep capable of possession. A magical sheep you say? What nonsense! But is it really all that strange?
A Wild Sheep Chase was written by Haruki Murakami is 1982. Having grown up in Japan, he was immersed in their culture. As a result, regardless of how much his novels tend to appeal to western readers, they are, in essence, deeply rooted in Japanese culture - a culture which thrives in a framework where everything is alive, be it the people or the rocks. They are, from my western point of view, more spiritual in this sense. Conversely, as westerners, we have a habit of separating everything into either the natural or the supernatural. There is no in-between. In this sense, we are more materialistic. What we might view as the “supernatural” may be viewed as a continuum of the natural in Japan. When taking A Wild Sheep Chase into consideration, then, one may find that the sheep, rather than being viewed as something supernatural, may be instead be seen as simply a powerful force. Thus, a sheep having the ability of possession may not be all that crazy.
Similarly, in western culture, we often view good and evil as separate entities. We are bombarded with ideas of hero’s journey, whereby the protagonist, the “good” side, vanquishes the villain, the “evil” side. Yet should one make this assumption while reading a Japanese horror story like A Wild Sheep Chase, they would be quickly mislead. This is due to another aspect of that worldview: balance. Much like how I wouldn’t say the sheep is a supernatural being, I also wouldn’t say it is pure evil. Yes, it possessed people, but was there truly ill intent? We know little of the sheep’s motivations without having spoken to it ourselves. All we know is that for one reason or another, perhaps because this is what came naturally to the sheep, it took control of people and with their influence created somewhat of an empire. In doing so, it proved itself as a force to be reckoned with. But note that it was never described as something evil, for good and evil are two sides of the same coin. They thus must always stay in balance. When the sheep was seemingly defeated, no big wave of oppression disappeared, nor did some big revelation come about. In fact, those who had been chasing the sheep all this time were disappointed. It is clear then, that, in contrast to western stories, Japanese stories don’t always have to end with the good side defeating the evil, but rather both sides remaining in balance.
A Wild Sheep Chase contrasts sharply with that of many western tropes in a variety of ways, many that I will not be going on to list today. However, no matter the number of differences, the conclusion remains the same: assumptions hinder one’s ability see reality as it is. Through reading this novel, I saw the tropes I often see flipped on its head, my own assumptions proved wrong. Knowing it was a horror story, I kept waiting for the sheep to kill everyone, but it never happened. I held on tightly to this idea that the sheep was the bad guy, but it never really was. By assuming this, I had an entirely biased idea of what the sheep represented, only to be shocked back into reality. Luckily for me, I was only reading a book. But how does this apply to real life?
We make assumptions about not only the people we meet, but also the information and news we encounter every day. What notions are these opinions based on? Objective reality and evidence or our personal experiences and stereotypes that may or may not hold true? How accurately am I actually viewing the world? These are the questions I ask myself every day. I hope I am not alone.
Don’t hold on to your assumptions. They are a barrier to reality and a habit by which we filter our existence. Wake up! Read about different cultures. I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and start seeing the truth. I know I will be.
I didn't read A Wild Sheep Chase because I feel difficult to read this even in my own language. but I feel that I want to read this after I read your post.
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