Topic > Readers' Interpretation of Barn Burning by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami's fictional world is famously populated by lonely people. But they like stories and don't bother telling them. A characteristic of Murakami's novels is that they refer to many stories or tales that are totally unrelated to the main story, to reinforce its themes and create a more complex fictional world. With Haruki Murakami's story entitled “Barn Burning” the reader can interpret the different meanings that a phrase or saying may or may not have meaning based on the context in which it was uttered. In essence, this excerpt encourages you to piece together and question the validity of the narrator's life and the overall meaning and theme of the story. Through first-person narration it is possible to feel part of the story and know what is happening in real time. There are questions that usually remain unanswered by the author and it is up to the reader to answer them themselves. The excerpt from which this explanation is based demonstrates that you may need to read between the lines to fully understand what is happening throughout the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “Barn Burning” is more than just a short story with a main protagonist and theme. It's a beautiful metaphor pertinent to that of relationships. The story revolves around the narrator who finds the idea of ​​burning barns appealing and is curious as to when the next barn will burn, as he is stuck in a typical suburban lifestyle, he also discovers that the disappearance of the young woman he is fond and the meaning behind the phrase begins to intertwine and relate to each other by the end of the story. The narrator finds his relationship with the young woman quite interesting because she is not connected to suburban life and ultimately accepts her for who she is. The man the young woman introduces to the narrator appears to be handsome and someone who travels a lot. It was only when the young woman and her new man came to the narrator's house to smoke and drink that one sentence stayed with the narrator for the longest time. In the chosen piece the man indicated that barns are built almost everywhere. This means that regardless of where or how it is made, a barn is essentially created using any means necessary and that it is susceptible to fire. This shows that no barn is safe from fire and that the longer a barn stands the more likely it is to catch fire, although it is very unlikely as newly built barns are the ones that burn the fastest. Basically, what could the man have meant when he said, “It's like that's why they were put there in the first place. No pain for anyone. They just… vanish. One, two, poof!” was that in every relationship at least one person thinks about burning down the barn because they may have lost the spark they initially had. Essentially, these barns would perish so badly in the flames that everything would disappear without a trace. The way Haruki Murakami was able to allow the reader to come to their own conclusion as to what their interpretation of the story is is what makes his writing style so much more compelling. Murakami was able to present the imagery of relationships in flames and the harsh realities that come with them. The whole idea that every human relationship is nothing more than a superficial existence and destined to crash and burn after losing the initial spark is what is relatable to readers. This shows that once a person has received all that a relationship has to offer, they make no effort to maintain it,"..”