Murakami and Dysfunctional Marriages

 I have always felt that for someone who is in a long-term marriage, Murakami seems to write a lot about dysfunctional marriages and relationships that are stale. It really occurred to me because of the stark contrast between the couples in the readings. The couple in "The Second Bakery Attack" seems completely unfamiliar with each other as the wife repeatedly surprises the husband with her decision making, the shotgun and ski masks she owns, and more. In turn, it seems unbelievable that till the point of this marriage the husband had never told the story of how he had robbed a bakery. There is no way to see what they had seen in each other. Similar dysfunctional couples can be seen in the "The Wild Sheep Chase", Boku and his ex-wife did not seem to have any chemistry together and the basis of his relationship with his girlfriend is purely physical and a matter of convenience. In "Drive My Car", the wife cheated on the husband multiple times despite them being in a seemingly good relationship. In "Tony Takitani", Tony falls in love suddenly and it seems to be due to nothing substantial. In comparison, the couple in "A Small Good Thing" seem much more dedicated and connected, one moment that stood out was when she realized the husband had also been praying this entire time. Their decision to attack the bakery is also unanimous and they set off as a unit. One difference between Murakami's couples and others is that they don't have a child, which could explain some of the lack of commitment to the relationship. Murakami and his wife also do not have children which seems to be why he writes couples like that. However, more than anything, I think it is that Murakami is not great at writing women and giving them the depth needed to convince readers of their part in a loving relationship. All the women in  relationships he writes feel hollow and underdeveloped compared to the main male protagonists. 

Celine