The Elephant Vanishes Themes

In “The Elephant Vanishes,” Murakami recounts how a Tokyo suburb deals with the improbable disappearance of an old elephant that has been left in the town’s care. Through the narrator—the last person to see the animal before its strange disappearance—as well as the elderly zookeeper and the elephant itself, Murakami spins a story of isolation and meaningful connection. The central conflict in “The Elephant Vanishes” lies in its characters’ inability to form deep bonds…

As in other works of magical realist literature, “The Elephant Vanishes” features surreal situations that seem to disrupt the fundamental natural order. The titular elephant, already a wild animal at odds with its surroundings in a suburb of Tokyo, appears to physically shrink in relation to its keeper just before the two vanish. Witnessing this surreal shift in balance has a profound effect on the narrator, who feels that his own life has…

In “The Elephant Vanishes,” the titular elephant is a displaced animal who is largely misunderstood and mistreated by the community in which it is forced to integrate. As a captive zoo animal, the elephant has no agency over its life—its whereabouts, housing, diet, and care are all placed under the control of a town that largely regards the elephant as a waste of practical resources. Rather than being treated with respect and proper care, the…