Ending of Sleep

     "Sleep" by Haruki Murakami shows his writing style effortlessly, but there is something about this short story that sets it aside from the others. The main character is a woman. Usually, Murakami's stories have a man as the main character or narrator who isn't married or have anything holding him down. In this story, the woman is married and has a son. And to create a story out out this woman, she is unable to sleep.

    The short story had me hooked and reading at the speed of lightning. But once I finished reading the ending, I was a little confused. What does it mean when there were men rocking her car? I thought about it and came up with a few possible conclusions.

1. The woman was raped by her college boyfriend in the car, which she is reminded of when she was sitting in her car. This caused her first insomnia, which she couldn't process and nobody noticed it. The trauma comes back when she has the dream of a man pouring water on her feet. She stays awake every night and then goes out in her car one night dressed as a man. The police officer has questioned her before on why she was out at that time and told her how three men attacked a couple and killed the man and raped the woman. Replaying her trauma, she doesn't want to be raped again and suffer insomnia. She rather be the man who dies. When she was feeling trapped in the car as it seemed to be an attack, she says: "I'll never get the key... All I can do is cry. The tears keep pouring out" (109). This seemed to be another replay of her dream where the man poured water at her feet. It seems as if she will just cry enough till she drowns and the men tip over her car.

2. The woman's insomnia is a drug addiction. She was able to do so much more stuff when she didn't have to sleep. However, she didn't realize that there were consequences for the extra time she gained. For example, she knew that the port was dangerous after what the police officer told her, but she went back anyways and tried to make it safer for her not to get raped by dressing up as a man. But she still gets attacked. She thought she could control the situation and she knew the risks, but did it anyways. Things went wrong. Similar to a drug addiction, isn't it?

3. Lastly, I think the ending could also be finally fell asleep, but into a coma state. She is having nightmares and replays of her traumatic experience with her college boyfriend. So who are these men rocking her car? I believe it could her husband and son trying to get her out and wake her up. But she feels terrified and stays in the car crying. She doesn't want to wake up to reality. She enjoyed being awake all the time. Nothing feels right. She thinks the only thing she can do is cry and stay in the car. She is trapped in a box.

    Perhaps if I reread the story another time, I could find more conclusion theories. But anyways, Murakami truly created a masterpiece with this one. My favorite short story yet.

Sonia