In Haruki Murakami's novel, 'A Wild Sheep Chase,' the characters play integral roles in unraveling the mysterious plot and exploring underlying themes.
A detached, apathetic man who embarks on an unusual quest to find a mystical sheep. His journey is both literal and existential, forcing him to confront his stagnant life.
Narrator’s friend
The Rat
Rebellious, introspective, self-destructive
The disillusioned friend of the narrator who disappears and becomes entangled with a supernatural sheep. His struggle with the sheep's power is central to the novel’s themes of control and autonomy.
Narrator’s love interest
The Girlfriend
Mysterious, intuitive, supportive
A narrator's mysterious girlfriend with psychic abilities who aids the narrator in his quest for the sheep.
Rating
Rating:
3.4/5
Continue down for all the characters to A Wild Sheep Chase
B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.
The protagonist in this novel, a typical Murakami narrator, embarks on a journey to find a special sheep with a star-shaped birthmark in Hokkaido. The sheep with a star-shaped mark on its back is a central motif in the story, with potentially nefarious designs for the human race.
The novel weaves an intricate narrative that blends the surreal with the ordinary, highlighting the complexities of human nature and the impact of ambition and war on society.
The Unnamed Narrator
Role: Protagonist
Key Info: In his thirties, an advertising executive, jaded and disillusioned.
A passive, detached protagonist who embarks on an existential quest for a mystical sheep.
Background: The unnamed narrator is an ordinary man in his thirties, living a monotonous life as an advertising executive. At the novel’s outset, he recently divorced his wife and is stuck in a state of existential ennui.
Personality: He is passive, apathetic, and cynical, with a detached view of life and his relationships. He has a wry sense of humor and is introspective.
Development: The narrator becomes more self-aware and reflective as he quests to find the sheep with a star-shaped birthmark. This journey forces him to confront truths about his own life and identity.
Significance: As the central character, his detachment symbolizes the disconnection many people feel in modern life. His quest parallels his search for meaning and purpose.
The narrator in “A Wild Sheep Chase” shows a modern, alienated individual who drifts through life, numb to emotions. His inner monologue reflects the struggle to find substance in a empty world. External circumstances drive him into an absurd quest, which serves as a metaphor for the human desire to give life direction. The Sheep symbolizes vital existential truths, compelling the narrator to escape his numbness and explore what truly matters to him.
The protagonist remains unnamed throughout the novel. He is a typical Murakami narrator, often characterized by his nonchalant attitude and cynicism. He co-owns a translating and advertising business and is recently divorced. He embarks on a journey to find the special sheep with a star-shaped birthmark, which sets the events of the story in motion. The protagonist stands out as a figure of mediocrity, content with a simple life. His disconnection from ambition and his nonchalant demeanor serves as a counterpoint to the characters consumed by power and ambition.
The Rat
Role: Childhood friend of the narrator, pivotal character in the novel.
Key Info: Disappeared, wealthy, involved with the mystical Sheep.
The narrator’s rebellious friend whose internal struggle with power and control leads to self-destruction.
Background: The Rat is the protagonist’s friend and communicates with him through letters throughout the novel. He disappears and becomes involved with the mysterious sheep.
Personality: He is rebellious, dissatisfied with society, and yearns for a more authentic life. His disillusionment with the world drives him into isolation. He describes himself as weak.
Development: The Rat is transformed when the mystical Sheep possesses him. This possession is supposed to allow the Rat to take control of powerful forces. However, this connection ultimately puts him under the sheep’s sinister influence.
Significance: The Rat’s disillusionment mirrors the narrator’s own, and his fate warns about the consequences of pursuing power without understanding its implications.
The Rat embodies a countercultural rebellion against the status quo. Still, his arc in “A Wild Sheep Chase” shows how dangerous it is to entangle with forces beyond control. His quest for meaning leads him to the Sheep, a symbol of power, control, and destiny, but his ultimate fate reveals the destructive nature of seeking to possess too much power. It is shown that the Rat was the last person to be possessed by the special sheep. To prevent the sheep from controlling others, the Rat commits suicide while the sheep is asleep inside him.
The Girlfriend
Role: Love interest and guiding figure for the narrator
Key Info: Has mysterious psychic powers and beautiful ears.
A mysterious woman with psychic abilities who catalyzes the narrator’s deeper engagement with the surreal.
Background: The narrator’s girlfriend works as an ear model due to her exceptionally perfect ears, which have an unusual, hypnotic allure. She possesses an undefined psychic ability.
Personality: She is calm, enigmatic, and unusually perceptive. Her psychic nature and beauty give her an otherworldly presence in the narrator’s otherwise mundane life.
Development: Though she remains mysterious throughout the novel, her role becomes more important as she encourages the narrator to follow the Sheep’s trail and acts as his guide.
Significance: Her character symbolizes intuition and the allure of the unknown. She pushes the narrator toward his transformation, representing the pull of the esoteric in the search for personal meaning.
The protagonist is fascinated by her ears, and despite her claims of them being “blocked” and “dead,” she joins him on the quest. She has multiple occupations, including part-time proofreading, being a commercial model specializing in ear shots, and being a discreet, intimate, friends-only club member.
The girlfriend’s role in “A Wild Sheep Chase” is not to be a fully realized character but rather a catalyst for the narrator’s journey. She is a dreamlike figure who evokes themes of unconscious desire and the hidden ways the metaphysical influences the physical world. Her psychic abilities and beauty make her a symbol of the untapped mysteries in life, representing intuition and imagination in contrast to the narrator’s rational detachment.
The Boss
Role: Powerful figure seeking the mystical Sheep.
Key Info: Influential, wealthy, connected to political power.
A powerful man possessed by the sheep, symbolizing the corrupting influence of power.
Background: The Boss is a shadowy, powerful figure obsessed with finding the mystical Sheep that once possessed him. He controls vast political and economic resources, and his influence is far-reaching. However, after the sheep abandons him, he is on the verge of death due to a cyst in his brain.
Personality: It is hinted that he is authoritative, manipulative, and consumed by his desire to regain the Sheep’s power. This inflexible need drives the plot forward.
Development: Although he is never seen alive, the Boss’s influence pervades the novel, and his impending death triggers the events that force the narrator into the Sheep hunt.
Significance: The Boss symbolizes the corrupting influence of power and control. His pursuit of the Sheep represents the darker side of ambition and the human desire for dominance.
The Boss shows unchecked power and how it creates the need to accumulate and wield more power. His obsessive pursuit of the Sheep reflects the novel’s critique of those who seek control without regard for the consequences. Although he is a distant figure, his presence looms large over the story. His power over society contrasts sharply with the narrator’s passive existence, offering a commentary on the extremes of modern life: the passive masses and the domineering masters.
The Boss’ Assistant
Role: Servant and mouthpiece for the Boss
Key Info: Facilitates the Boss’ plans, professional, aloof.
The Boss’ employee who pushes the narrator into the surreal journey for the sheep.
Background: The Boss’ Assistant is a meticulous and formal man who acts as an intermediary between the narrator and the powerful Boss. He ensures that the narrator embarks on the quest for the mystical Sheep.
Personality: He is efficient, emotionless, and calm, the perfect instrument for the Boss’s machinations.
Development: The Assistant remains unchanged throughout the story, serving as a functional character who propels the plot.
Significance: He represents the faceless bureaucracy that carries out the will of those in power without question or hesitation.
The Assistant is a critical but depersonalized figure in “A Wild Sheep Chase.” He exemplifies the idea of a servant completely absorbed by the machinery of power. His actions are dictated entirely by the will of the Boss, and he has no agency. In him, we see the dehumanizing effects of hierarchical structures, where individuals become mere instruments of larger, more powerful forces.
The Chauffeur
Role: The Boss’ loyal driver and servant
Key Info: Works for the Boss as a driver and runs sundry errands.
A minor yet symbolic character who runs errands and is the Boss’s chauffeur.
Background: He is the boss’s chauffeur, a character who frequently uses God’s telephone number provided by the Boss. While the protagonist embarks on his journey, he becomes a caretaker for the protagonist’s nameless cat, whom he names Kipper.
Personality: He is dutiful but informal and has a more human personality than the assistant.
Development: The Chauffeur does not undergo significant personal changes but holds thematically important conversations with the narrator.
Significance: His character represents the extension of the Boss’ influence, showcasing how the wealthy and powerful exert their will through loyal subordinates.
The Chauffeur’s role in “A Wild Sheep Chase” is minor yet functional. He embodies obedience, performing his duties without questioning the morality or impact of his actions. He even believes the Boss to be a direct link to God himself. This echoes the theme of individuals being reduced to mere tools of larger forces. His interactions with the narrator highlight the gap between those who serve power and those who seek it, emphasizing the systemic nature of control and influence.
A bar owner and the narrator’s friend who represents stability and the comforts of the past.
Background: J is the bartender at a local bar in the narrator’s hometown, where the narrator used to frequent. He is a close confidant, offering pragmatic advice and emotional stability.
Personality: J is calm, thoughtful, and reliable. He provides a grounded perspective that contrasts with the surreal events happening around the narrator.
Development: While J does not undergo significant change, his steadfast presence helps anchor the narrator amidst his increasingly chaotic journey.
Significance: J represents stability and normalcy in the narrator’s surreal life. He acts as a touchstone, and even when the world the narrator knows changes drastically, J’s bar is the only place he finds familiarity and relatability.
J is essential as a foil to the narrator’s passive and detached nature. While the narrator struggles to find meaning, J represents a more balanced, steady approach to life. In “A Wild Sheep Chase,” he provides the narrator with a sense of normality and sanity, offering practical wisdom without being overly intrusive. Also, while the narrator is at odds with the changes he sees and feels alienated, J takes the changes in stride and modernizes his bar accordingly. His presence serves as a reminder that while the narrator embarks on a bizarre quest, there are still grounded, ordinary realities outside his surreal experience.
The Ainu Youth
Role: An important figure in the history of the sheep
Key Info: Part of the rural historical landscape, brief appearance.
A brief character representing cultural identity and marginalization within Japanese society.
Background: The Ainu Youth is from Sapporo and assists Japanese farmers in establishing Junitaki Village, which is historically relevant to the story.
Personality: He is quiet, observant, and has a pioneering spirit.
Development: The Ainu youth does not experience significant character development, but his presence adds depth to the novel’s cultural and historical setting.
Significance: He represents Japan’s often ignored cultural elements, connecting the story to themes of identity and tradition.
The Ainu youth is a symbolic figure representing the marginalized aspects of Japanese culture in “A Wild Sheep Chase.” His brief appearance introduces the unique Ainu indigenous identity, which contrasts with the story’s more modern, homogenous, consumer-driven aspects. The inclusion of Ainu culture reflects Murakami’s broader interest in exploring the tension between modernity and tradition and the overlooked elements of Japan’s cultural history. Although his role is minor, the Ainu youth highlights the novel’s layered exploration of identity and place.
The Sheep Man
Role: Mystical figure who guides the narrator to the Rat
Key Info: Half-human, half-sheep, cryptic.
An eccentric, isolated man obsessed with the sheep, warning of the dangers of obsessive knowledge-seeking.
Background: The Sheep Man is a strange and cryptic character who appears in the final stages of the narrator’s journey. He appears at the sheep farm in the mountains and provides the narrator with information about the Rat.
Personality: The Sheep Man is enigmatic, otherworldly, and speaks in cryptic phrases. He has the mannerisms of the Rat.
Development: The Sheep Man does not undergo significant development; he remains a mystical figure with limited involvement in the story’s resolution, serving only as a symbolic guide.
Significance: He belongs to the novel’s surreal and mystical elements, representing the intersection of the real and the unreal in the narrator’s quest.
The Sheep Man is one of the most enigmatic characters in “A Wild Sheep Chase.” His half-human, half-sheep appearance blurs the lines between the natural and supernatural. As a guide, the Sheep Man reveals to him the information he has no way of knowing, such as the status of his girlfriend, who disappears abruptly, and the time of the Rat’s appearance. His existence underscores the novel’s blend of reality and absurdity. We never really know if he is the Rat’s incarnation or a projection of the narrator.
The Sheep Professor
Role: Researcher and expert on the mystical Sheep.
Key Info: Former academic, knowledgeable, eccentric.
An eccentric, isolated man obsessed with the sheep, warning of the dangers of obsessive knowledge-seeking.
Background: He is the father of the Dolphin Hotel Owner, who had an illustrious academic career but was dismissed for his involvement with sheep. He was the first character in the story to be possessed by the sheep. The Sheep Professor becomes a recluse consumed by his obsession with the sheep.
Personality: Eccentric, obsessive, and reclusive, the Sheep Professor is consumed by his research. He is passionate about his work but detached from reality.
Development: The Sheep Professor remains consistent throughout the story, acting as a source of information for the narrator. His role is primarily expository, providing the narrator (and the reader) with crucial background on the mystical Sheep.
Significance: The Professor represents the pursuit of knowledge at the expense of close relationships. His obsession with the Sheep mirrors the novel’s prominent themes of power and the dangers of losing oneself in singular pursuits.
The Sheep Professor is a symbolic figure in “A Wild Sheep Chase,” representing the intellectual quest to understand phenomena beyond human control. His obsession with the Sheep reflects the dangers of academic detachment, where knowledge becomes an end in itself, disconnected from its real-world consequences. In his occupation with the sheep, he ignores his son and refuses to see him. The Professor’s isolation emphasizes the novel’s exploration of how intense focus on abstract goals can lead to a loss of humanity.
The Dolphin Hotel Owner
Role: Manager of the Dolphin Hotel.
Key Info: Helps the narrator in his search, the Sheep Professor’s son.
A pragmatic figure who runs the hotel, reflecting the coexistence of the ordinary and the surreal.
Background: The owner of the Dolphin Hotel in Sapporo and the son of the Sheep Professor, he provides lodging for the narrator as he pursues the mystery of the mystical Sheep and introduces the narrator to his father. He plays a minor but supportive role in the story.
Personality: The hotel owner is friendly and pragmatic, quietly assisting the narrator without getting involved in the events relating to the sheep.
Development: He remains a static character, serving only to point the way to the narrator.
Significance: The hotel owner represents normalcy and practicality, contrasting with the story’s supernatural elements.
The Dolphin Hotel owner is a secondary character who provides stability and normalcy in the absurd narrative of “A Wild Sheep Chase.” By giving the narrator and the girlfriend bed and board in his run-down hotel in the boondocks, the owner serves as a touchstone for reality, reminding the reader of the ordinary world that still exists outside of the narrator’s surreal journey.
B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.
Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.
