Norwegian Wood

In Norwegian Wood, many characters have suffered a profound loss. In their attempts to come to terms with loss, they often end up trapped in the nostalgia of memory, which leads to loneliness and lack of connection in the present. After Kizuki’s death, both Naoko and Watanabe struggle with feelings of loneliness. Watanabe feels as if death is living inside him; he describes himself as “unable to find a place for [him]self in the world” (24); and he often feels excluded, as if he is living in a different world from everyone else. However, this distance is also self-inflicted. Arriving at university, Watanabe says that the only thing he could do to forget Kizuki was “establish a proper distance between [him]self and everything else” (25). He intentionally withdraws to prevent future possible hurt.

Naoko reacts similarly to Kizuki’s death, moving to Tokyo and living “a spare, simple life with hardly any friends” (26). She and Watanabe gravitate toward one another because they understand the other’s pain, and therefore, they can soothe their loneliness without facing the seeming impossibility of communicating their feelings. In this way, Norwegian Wood shows how loss brings people together while noting that companionship alone does not necessarily equal healing.