Watanabe's first love, Naoko, was the girlfriend of his high school classmate, Kizuki, who later committed suicide. A year later, Watanabe meets Naoko and begins a relationship. At this time, Naoko had become quiet and shy, and her beautiful crystal eyes had a hint of darkness in them that was hard to catch.
The two men simply walked along the leafy streets of Tokyo, day after day, aimlessly, side by side or in front of each other. On the night of Naoko's 20th birthday they had sex, but the next day Naoko was nowhere to be found. A few months later, Naoko writes to say that she has been admitted to a mental sanatorium far away in the mountains.
When Watanabe visits, he realizes that Naoko is beginning to take on the plumpness and beauty of a mature woman. Although they share a room at night, Watanabe restrains himself and says he will always wait for Naoko before parting. Shortly after returning to school, Watanabe begins a relationship with Midori, a junior, as a result of a chance encounter.
Watanabe's relationship with Midori, who is the opposite of Naoko's introverted counterpart, is a time of great anguish and uncertainty for Watanabe. On the one hand, he can't forget Naoko's lingering illness and tenderness, but on the other hand, he can't resist Midori's bold confession and charming vigor. Soon after the news of Naoko's suicide comes, Watanabe goes hiking around in a state of disorientation. Finally, with the encouragement of Naoko's fellow patient Reiko, Watanabe begins to figure out what to do with his life thereafter.
Expanded:
Compositional Background
In the 1960s, Japan had entered a highly developed capitalist society. While the economy was growing rapidly, people's spiritual crisis was also increasing day by day. The abundance of material life and the expansion of human desires created a serious imbalance in the spiritual world.
The communication between people is reduced and the psychological distance is widened. People living in the city are like rootless duckweed, lonely, vain, lost, but unable to face the strong social pressure. The prosperity of the city cannot hide people's inner anxiety.
The Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood" gave the author great inspiration. It was a subtle, unnamed feeling, and in 1987 Haruki Murakami wrote a young-adult romance novel under the title "Norwegian Wood".
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