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Allegory
Explanation and Analysis—Sanatorium:
In Norwegian Wood, the sanatorium or Ami Hostel is an allegory for the relief that seems to be offered in spaces near death. The Ami Hostel is surrounded by thick woods, which set it off from civilization. To get there to visit Naoko, Toru must walk through these woods, as described in Chapter 6:
There was a trailhead near the bus stop, according to Naoko, and if I followed the trail for twenty minutes I would reach Ami Hostel. If it was that deep in the mountains, no wonder it was a quiet place!
The sanatorium itself seems to be a sanctuary within these dark woods. The Ami Hostel offers a refuge, where life is near-perfect for residents. The “quiet” that Toru notices marks this separation from the bustle of the real world. Reiko explains the unique paradise-like quality of the sanatorium:
“Just living here is the convalescence,” she said. “A regular routine, exercise, isolation from the outside world, clean air, quiet. Our farmland makes us practically self-sufficient; there’s no TV or radio. We’re like one of those commune places you hear so much about.”
Life at the Ami Hostel is so compelling that residents struggle to leave and reenter the real world. Even though Reiko doesn’t have anything particularly wrong with her, she has been staying at the sanatorium for seven years. The placid ease of living at the Ami Hotel makes normal life more challenging for residents. As a result, they are held in this space proximal to death, still alive but unable to truly live. The allure of the sanatorium represents the allure of death for these characters—they must work hard to resist its pull. Naoko is in the Ami Hostel because of her suicidality, so the pull of death has literally brought her there. And while she shows signs of improvement at the sanatorium, she ultimately succumbs—she dies by suicide in the woods around the hostel.
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