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Anthropomorphism
Key Examples in Kafka on the Shore
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Kawamura:
One of the cats that Nakata speaks to in his cat-finding work is Kawamura, a street cat with an unusual manner of speech that is written out using dialect. While at first his cyptic way of speaking calls Nakata's ability to speak to cats into question, it is revealed that Kawamura was struck by a bicycle as a kitten and suffered an injury that affected his mind. Kawamura's strange state is reflected in his dialogue with contracted words that suggest slurred speech:
Kawamura gazed at the photograph again and nodded.
“If it’s tuna, Kwa’mura tied. Tied up, try to find.”
“I’m sorry, but as I said a moment ago, Nakata is not very bright, and can’t understand very well what you’re getting at. Would you mind repeating that?”
“If it’s tuna, Kwa’mura tries. Try to find and tied it up.”
“By tuna, you mean the fish?”
“Tries the tuna, tie it, Kwa’mura.”
Related Themes:
