What is Love in "On Meeting My 100 Percent Woman One Fine April Morning" by Haruki Murakami

Essay by luigico889 December 2005

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Science is no doubt the most influential force which takes over almost everything in the world. It seeks to explain the unexplainable, to prove how everything existed, and to provide answers to all the questions one may think of. However, what science has left unexplained until now is the concept of love.

What is love? Is there such thing as "destiny" or "fate"? What does one mean by "100% woman", or a "perfect" man/woman? Since science still can't find answers to these questions, several love-story writers often play around with the world of love. They either attempt to provide an explanation for love, or use its "unexplainable effect" to create a story.

In the story "On Meeting My 100 Percent Woman One Fine April Morning" by Haruki Murakami, the author creates a story which attacks the reader's emotions and experiences in love. Notice that the first description of the "100 percent woman" the narrator provided was, "She wasn't an especially pretty woman."

True enough, one always notices the physical appearance of the opposite sex first. In addition to that, beauty is always the first reason why one was attracted to the opposite sex.

"Was she a beauty?" "No, it wasn't that." "Oh, she was the type you like?" "That I don't remember...." In this set of conversation, the author uses the mystery of love as a way to catch the attention of the readers. This made the readers wonder why the narrator knew that she was the "100 percent woman." But again, because of the fact that love is unexplainable, readers accept this false logic and continue reading the story.

Of course, the author will not forget to mention the hesitation of a guy to speak to a girl! Crazy "techniques" like asking, "Excuse me, is there a twenty-four...