Divulging the Meanings behind Being neither Human nor Animal in Haruki Murakami's "Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey"

Abstract

This paper divulges the different meanings of the seemingly meaningless surrealist Haruki Murakami's “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey” (2020). The decision to use an anthropomorphic protagonist in the narrative is crucial and loaded with symbolism. It can be interpreted as an account of workplace abuse, racism and discrimination or as a story about identity conflict, with the monkey body representing otherness. The paper illuminates the connection between identity crisis and alienation as it is portrayed in "Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey". In the event that Shinagawa Monkey feels rejected and alienated, this is when alienation occurs. The analysis is conducted within the scope of Postcolonialism and Marxism. The paper is significant as it is the first to explore such topics in Murakami's “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey.” This paper's goal is to alter society's behavior to lessen discrimination that is currently on the rise. This paper embraces three main themes that appear in "Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey" (2020). The themes concern the biased attitudes towards different races, the theme of identity conflict, and alienation. This paper exemplifies a critical reading of a multidimensional short story and sets the path for further study along these lines.