The novel combines mystery, magical realism, and postmodernism, exploring themes of identity and the enigmatic nature of existence. Haruki Murakami blends American and English literature with Japanese contexts, creating a unique narrative regarded as a parody or renewal of Yukio Mishima’s “Natsuko’s Adventure.“
In “A Wild Sheep Chase,” an unnamed narrator, a chain-smoking advertising executive in Tokyo, is drawn into a surreal and mysterious quest. When he publishes a photo sent by his long-lost friend Rat featuring a sheep with a star-shaped birthmark, he attracts the attention of an influential figure known as “The Boss.”
In the story’s introduction, the unnamed protagonist, who also serves as the narrator, receives a cryptic message from an old friend, the Rat. The Rat asks him to visit their old hometown to meet J, the proprietor of a bar they used to frequent and the Rat’s former love interest. The protagonist complies but finds that much has changed. J’s bar has moved into a modern apartment, and the beach they once visited has been developed into a complex of modern apartments.
The protagonist of “A Wild Sheep Chase” is a fascinating character. He is the classic Murakami archetype of a detached, reflective, and disillusioned individual. He’s nameless, which enhances his everyman quality, and his sense of aimlessness reflects the modern struggle with meaning, identity, and alienation.
Meanwhile, the novel weaves the story of the Rat, in a series of letters sent to his friend, into the plot regarding the sheep chase.
Shortly after, in the story’s rising action, a mysterious figure representing a politically and economically powerful man in Japan (the Boss in the novel) visits the protagonist’s office with an unusual request. He asks them to pull an ad they recently published in the paper. The ad included a picture of sheep in a pasture, with one peculiar sheep featuring a star-shaped birthmark. The visitor, identifying himself as the Boss’s assistant, also demands that the protagonist dissolve his ad agency and take on a mission to find this sheep. The Boss, a highly influential figure, is gravely ill, and the assistant believes that the sheep in the photograph is connected to the Boss’s condition. The assistant gives the protagonist one month to locate the sheep, promising a large sum of money if he succeeds and dire consequences if he fails.
After some hesitation, the protagonist accepts the challenge. He hands his cat, which had been unnamed until then, to the Boss’s chauffeur, who names it “Kipper.” During the car ride, the chauffeur shares his belief that the Boss is an intermediary to God, suggesting that the Boss has divine insight and answers prayers. His acceptance of the commission and commencement of the mission marks the novel’s turning point.
The protagonist teams up with his girlfriend for the mission. She is introduced as an unremarkable woman except for her uniquely beautiful ears, which seem to possess mystical powers. The two follow their few leads and travel to Sapporo, Hokkaido. Guided by the girlfriend’s supernatural sense, they check into the run-down Dolphin Hotel, a place that gives the protagonist misgivings. During a conversation with the hotel manager, the protagonist learns that the manager’s reclusive father, who lived at the hotel, had previously encountered the mysterious sheep.
The naming of the Dolphin Hotel is very ironic. We learn that the owner’s inspiration is Moby Dick. However, in that novel, the main character is involved with a whale, not a dolphin.
The old man initially refuses to meet them, but after hearing about the sheep, he agrees to talk. He recounts his encounter with the sheep in Manchuria and reveals that it abandoned him, leading him to a life of seclusion at the Dolphin Hotel. The old man also hints at the possible whereabouts of the Rat—an isolated sheep farm high in the mountains, closed off during the winter.
The protagonist and his girlfriend set out for the sheep farm, aided by a man who knew the Rat. This man drives them up to the mountains but warns them to return before a particular time to avoid being snowed in for the winter.
After settling in at the house, the protagonist’s girlfriend suddenly leaves the next day without explanation. Torn between following her and completing his mission, the protagonist chooses to stay. Over the next few days, he spends his time cooking, eating, reading, and jogging along the trails around the farm. On one of his runs, he encounters a strange figure known as the Sheep Man—a small individual dressed in a sheep costume with hoofed feet. The Sheep Man shares a drink with him and assures him that his girlfriend is fine but refuses to reveal the Rat’s location. He tells him, however, that the Rat will see him soon. The protagonist, however, notices that the Sheep Man exhibits mannerisms similar to the Rat, such as looking at his hands.
Growing frustrated, the protagonist becomes increasingly anxious, fearing the winter snow will trap him. He gives the Sheep Man an ultimatum: either the Rat shows up, or he leaves the house. The Sheep Man promises that the Rat will visit him that night.
The Sheep Man is a very confusing character. We learn that he has the Rat’s mannerisms, but it is further revealed that the Rat commits suicide and is buried by the Sheep Man. I don’t know what to make of him.
His meeting with the Rat is the story’s climax. The Rat appears to him in a dream-like encounter that night. Over beers, they exchange pleasantries, and Rat explains that the house once belonged to his father, who had bought it from the U.S. government after it failed to become a radar station. The Rat’s father turned it into a sheep farm, and the Rat used to visit during holidays. The Rat reveals that he became possessed by the sheep after a chance encounter with the Sheep Professor at the Dolphin Hotel. He learns about the sheep from the old man and is possessed after that.
The Rat explains that the sheep is an evil force that takes control of its hosts, manipulating their desires for its purposes while granting them power in return. However, the sheep eventually leaves its hosts, reducing them to empty shells. Recognizing the sheep’s evil nature, the Rat took his own life to prevent it from moving on to another person. The Sheep Man, it turns out, buried the Rat after his suicide.
The story’s falling action starts after he completes his mission. The protagonist fears getting trapped by the snow and hastily leaves the sheep farm. Outside, he encounters the Boss’s assistant, who informs him that the Boss has died and the company has been dissolved. The assistant pays him the agreed-upon fee for his having found the Sheep. As he starts back down the mountain, the Boss’ assistant heads in to see the Sheep.
Overall, it’s a nice enough read. It has slow pacing, a light plot, and exciting use of language. However, “A Wild Sheep Chase” does not say much; it takes time to get there.
In the novel’s resolution, the protagonist returns home, investing the money he earned in J’s bar. In exchange, J welcomes him and the Rat whenever they need to take refuge with him.
