Point of View

Kafka on the Shore is written in two points-of-view, alternating largely chapter-by-chapter, each one corresponding to a different protagonist.

The story of Kafka Tamura is told in the present tense from a first person point-of-view. Our understanding of characters' thoughts in these chapters is restricted to Kafka himself. The interior life of other characters only comes to us through what they tell him. At the beginning of the novel, particularly, Kafka is a reliable protagonist. Emotionally abused before the story begins, he has affected an emotionless, analytical attitude to the world. In latter chapters, he grows more confused and despairing and his internal life overwhelms the action, rending him less reliable as a narrator. Kafka also has an alter ego, Crow, who appears in these chapters as a separate voice - generally in bold print - speaking in imperative statements.

The story of Nakata is told...