44 pages 1 hour read

Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013

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Essay Topics

1.

Why does the novel use a shifting time frame instead of simply proceeding chronologically? How does juxtaposing events from the past and the present affect the reader’s experience?

2.

Why did Murakami choose this title? What is the symbolism behind the words “colorless” and “pilgrimage?”

3.

How does Haida’s appearance in Tsukuru’s room or in his dream affect how readers understand his relationship with Shiro? Why does the novel purposely leave the reality of what happened with Haida unclear?