"Norwegian Wood" is a full-length romance novel written by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami in 1987.

The title of the novel "Norwegian Wood" is taken from a song of the same name by the British rock band The Beatles in the 1960s. The lyrics express the scene of the young "I" dating a girl in a Norwegian wooden house. This is a quiet, sad, and intoxicating song.

It can be said that over the past thirty years, Haruki Murakami's works, represented by "Norwegian Wood", have influenced the aesthetic trends, life styles, and even spiritual tastes of urban youth to varying degrees.

In particular, the well-known "Norwegian Wood" has become a reference version of the "little qualification tune", or it has become a cultural symbol in the minds of some people. The famous American Chinese scholar Ou-Fan Lee called this novel one of the ten literary translations that had the greatest impact on China in the 20th century.

"Norwegian Wood" tells the story of the love entanglement between the male protagonist Watanabe and two girls, Naoko who suffers from mental illness and is emotionally unstable, and the cheerful and lively Midoriko. At the same time, Watanabe goes through confusion and Hesitation also gained a youth story of growth.

Most of Haruki Murakami's works show typical postmodernism and surrealist styles, but this "Norwegian Wood" is an exception. He uses a soothing, calm, and extremely popular style of writing to depict the unforgettable scenery of youth and the protagonist's lost and lonely state of mind.

What kind of novel is "Norwegian Wood"? Haruki Murakami once commented: "I have read many novels, most of which are about love. They always deal with how to give love and how to accept or not accept love...and I don’t think the various kinds of love I described in this novel transcend the form of love in that sense...

Next, we will talk about Watanabe and The emotional relationship between different girls analyzes the love theme of "how to express giving and receiving love" in this novel. The emotional relationship between Watanabe and Naoko

The emotional relationship between Watanabe and Naoko is the driving force behind "How to express giving and receiving love". The main line of plot development in "Norwegian Wood". The entire novel starts from the unexpected encounter between Watanabe and Naoko, and ends with Watanabe falling in love with Naoko, and caring about and missing Naoko. It can be said that Watanabe and Naoko's relationship is complete. The relationship is extremely complicated, and as time goes by, the truth between them has become unclear. But no matter which girl intervenes in Watanabe's life, he has never given up his responsibility to Naoko. Responsibility is neither friendship nor family affection, but more like love. There is a passage in the novel that illustrates this state:

I still love Naoko, although the way of love changes in a certain process It was unbelievable that I was distorted, but my love for Naoko is unquestionable. I have always reserved a place for Naoko in my heart that no one else has touched.

Of course, I wrote a letter to Reiko in Watanabe. In the novel, he also expressed his love for Naoko: "I loved Naoko, and now I love her equally... What I feel in Naoko is quiet, elegant and crystal clear love. ”

Only with love can one have responsibility, so Watanabe really loved Naoko, and for a long time after Naoko passed away, Watanabe was in a melancholy state. On the other hand, Naoko did not have a true love transition. The person she truly loves is Kizuki. But she refuses to have close contact with Kizuki, and instead has a physical relationship with Watanabe.

Naoko embodies a typical love. The separation from sex, and it was precisely because of this contradiction that Naoko's spirit collapsed.

There is a plot in the novel that also shows that Naoko does not love Watanabe that much. In the letter to Naoko, she mentioned Midori, who fell in love with her, and Midori's father, but Naoko's reply was very calm: "Mido looks very interesting. After reading that letter, I think she has fallen in love with you." .

The nature of love is selfish and cannot tolerate the emotions of a third person, but Naoko behaved calmly towards Midori's appearance and did not show any jealousy.

It seems very unreasonable, and there is only one situation that can explain it, that is when one person's emotion for another person is not that strong, or the emotion is not particularly deep.

To sum up. According to analysis, Watanabe's love for Naoko is both sincere and hesitant, while Naoko's love for Watanabe is relatively distant, more like a friendship or family relationship.

In the novel, Watanabe started dating Midoriko in a state of confusion. On the one hand, he couldn't let go of Naoko's illness and tenderness, but on the other hand, Watanabe was obsessed with Midoriko's youthful vitality. In an undecided emotional state, even though Naoko has passed away, Watanabe is still very cautious about his relationship with Midori, even if he and Midori sleep in a small bed. "Miroku put her nose on my chest and put her hands on my waist. "Watanabe also restrained his emotions and waited until Midoriko fell asleep before reading. In turn, Midoriko's feelings for Watanabe were like a fire, a devotion without reservation.

Midori's words in the novel are enough to show Midori's feelings for Watanabe:

I really wanted to fall in love with a handsome boy, but I couldn't help it, I just fell in love with you... ....Now I am confessing that I like you in your arms. As long as you give the order, I will go through fire and water without hesitation...Don't you think this is a big sale? If you don't buy it yet, I'll be here soon.

In the relationship between men and women, it is usually the man who takes the initiative, but Midori's proactive confession, in her own words, is a "big sale". It is enough to show that Midori is a A girl with passionate feelings and bold pursuit of love, and it can be seen that she likes Watanabe very much.

To sum up, Watanabe’s love for Midoriko is like a pool of spring water, tepid; while Midoriko’s love for Watanabe is like maple leaves in the autumn sun, passionate as fire, ready at any time. combustion. The emotional relationship between Watanabe and Hatsumi

When you read the novel carefully, you will find that the most ideal woman in Watanabe’s mind is neither Naoko nor Midoriko, but Nagazawa’s girlfriend Hatsumi.

Why do you say that? Two paragraphs of descriptions in the novel are enough to illustrate this point: There is a passage in the novel that Watanabe says from his heart: "Hsumi always looks so luxurious and elegant. I like him very much. If I could have such a lover, I would never Will find other women to sleep with."

From this paragraph of Watanabe's inner evaluation of Hatsumi, it can be seen that Watanabe appreciates and loves Hatsumi, and puts Hatsumi in a girl without him. A position comparable to hers. There is also a passage in the novel about Watanabe’s feelings for Hatsumi. That was when Watanabe drove Hatsumi, who had quarreled with Nagazawa, back to the dormitory. Watanabe, who was sitting next to Hatsumi, felt an inexplicable "shocking emotion" well up in his heart.

As for this inexplicable and shocking emotion, it took Watanabe twelve years to figure out what it was. It was an "innocent longing that was about to burn..." Hatsumi said It is the part of me that has been sleeping that shakes me... She is indeed a special woman."

It is not difficult to see from the fact that Watanabe likes Hatsumi. Hidden in Bian's heart is a yearning for innocence, and Hatsumi is the symbol of his "youthful longing".

Although Watanabe was so obsessed with Hatsumi, Hatsumi was completely unaware of it. Hatsumi didn’t write much in the novel. She couldn’t bear the marriage arranged by her family and committed suicide. The person Hatsumi loved deeply in her heart was Yong. Ze.

To sum up, Watanabe’s feelings for Hatsumi can be classified as one-sided secret love, the kind of distant and silent appreciation and fantasy emotions.