Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Kafka on the Shore, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Mind vs. The Body
Fate and Prophecy
The Virtues of Self-Sufficiency
Music and Introspection
Summary
Analysis
Nakata stakes out the grassy lot for several days, waiting for some sign of Goma. One day he meets a black and white cat, Okawa, who warns him that Goma is mixed up in some dangerous business that he’d rather not talk about. That evening, a huge, fierce-looking black dog lumbers into the empty lot. He seems to be beckoning Nakata to follow, and he does. The dog leads Nakata to a neighborhood he’s never seen before, and into the living room of a large stone house. Seated on a swivel chair inside is a mysterious man in a long red coat, black vest, white trousers, and tall black boots. He takes a sip of whiskey and introduces himself as Johnnie Walker.
As he searches for Goma, Nakata demonstrates the relative contentment of his very solitary existence. Meanwhile, the omen-like warnings of the cats—which seemed as if they must be either untrue or exaggerated from a cat’s perspective because of how extreme they were—prove to be true when Nakata is led to the home of a strange man who matches the description provided by the cats.
Themes
Johnnie Walker reveals that he has Goma, and that he will give Nakata an opportunity to get her back. But first, he says, they will play a game. Nakata stays silent.
Nakata’s ability to continue supporting himself through the unique business he has established hangs in the balance in this surreal encounter.
Themes
