A Wild Sheep

by Haruki Murakami


   Third novel of Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep is a book published in 1982 that is centered on a story told through a 29 year old narrator who remains nameless. In the first part of the novel, everything seems normal with elements – his marital status, his job – that are realistic to the narrator's life until a visitor manipulated by the "Boss", a mysterious and powerful figure, stops by the agency he works at. The visitor forces him to find the 'star-shaped sheep' – seen in a photograph of an ad made by the narrator; the photograph was given by Rat – and threatens him if he opposes. From there on, the narrator goes through a series of unpredictability and superstition which are layered in a non-linear narrative; his girlfriend and him go on a quest to finding Rat in believing that he knows where the sheep is.

   It becomes very fascinating as we discover what the sheep represents as the most apparent and strongest symbolism thorough the novel. What does 'the star-shaped sheep' actually represent?
   After reading the novel and a few articles on the topic, I've come to realize that the animal reflect Will. The clues are subtle but we notice that each time the sheep would possess or fid a host, it would push the person to make a difference. We would normally think of a sheep as a follower but he fact that one has a star distinguishes him from the rest and demonstrate a will to make a change and/or rebel. A good example would be the Boss' upgrade from unexceptional skills to organizing ranks behind him. Plus, the visitor who had the will to come to the narrator and push him to start his own journey. 
   This is also highlighted with the fact that the protagonist of the story goes by no name. It is as if Murakami aimed to let us become him and hopefully embodying the will heavily portrayed thorough the plot – the strange part about this character is that he is pretty indifferent.