Tsukuru’s Characteristics before He Meets Sara Kimoto
She found that Tsukuru had started to act and speak a little oddly. When she saw how much her son had changed in the space of a few months, she was
speechless. But Tsukuru attributed it to ‘normal changes you go through when you’re my age.’ What he really needed, he told her, were clothes that
actually fit him now, and his mother totally accepted his explanation. She’d grown up with a sister and, after her own marriage, was more familiar with
how to raise her daughters. She had no idea how to raise a boy Murakami, 2014: 41.
The quotation above shows that even with his mother, Tsukuru still cannot tell about his problem. Although physically, he may has changed, he acts normally
as if nothing happens. In addition, another proof that shows Tsukuru does not have a close relation with his family is when his father died, Tsukuru comes back to
Nagoya for his father’s funeral. But soon after that, “Tsukuru continued his work in Tokyo building railroad stations, without much contact with his family. His visits
to Nagoya remained few a nd far between” Murakami, 2014: 48.
From those quotations above, it helps the writer to analyze Tsukur u’s
personality as a reserved man. Also from the way he thought when he thinks that he cannot share his problems to his family, even when his mother comes to Tokyo
and asks him whether there is something she should know, Tsukuru remains silent and acts normally. As Murphy states
that someone’s characteristic can be seen from the way heshe thinks.
Tsukuru’s thoughts and from the conversatation he has with his mother, it proves that he tends to have a difficulty to communicate with other
people. Especially for expressing his feelings. So after his friends leave, Tsukuru has not talked to any of them. He does not
know why his four friends suddenly kick him out of the group. Back to Tokyo, he continues his flat daily routine. This is another proof that shows Tsukuru also has a
flat activity in Tokyo:
When he got up, he’d take a shower, wash his hair, and always brush his teeth after eating. He made his best to keep busy. At night, he read for two hours or
so, mostly history or biographies. A long-standing habit. Habit, in fact, was what propelled his life forward. Though he no longer believed in a perfect
community, nor felt the warmth of chemistry between people Murakami, 2014: 42.
Tsukuru does not make a close relation with anyone since then. As it is stated in the novel, Tsukuru does not believe in a perfect community. He does not feel the
warmth of chemistry between him and the people around him. He continues his flat daily life in Tokyo just like he did in Nagoya. It is said that “being banished didn’t
have any immediate negative effects on his daily routine Murakami, 2014 : 3.” It
means that he already has the difficulty to socialize with other people. He also has a monotone life before he meets his friends and after his friends leave. That is the
reason why it is difficult for him to socialize with the others. When he meets Sara for the first time, he still does not want to reveal his
thoughts or feelings to Sara. Because it seems odd for him to share his problems to someone he has just met. Tsukuru still believes that it is not necessary for people
around him know about his life, especially about his past life. Tsukuru, of course, had no idea
what Sara was thinking about. And he didn’t want to reveal to her what was on his mind. There are certain thoughts that, no
matter what, you have to keep inside. And it was those kinds of thoughts that ran through Tsukuru’s head as he rode the train home Murakami, 2014: 35.
From the quotation above, it gives a clue to the reader that at first Tsukuru
does not want to reveal his feelings or his thoughts to Sara. It is because he has just met her. He is afraid of telling Sara about everything. So he chooses to keep all of
his feelings for himself instead of expressing about it.
In the book Understanding Unseens An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students,
Murphy states that there are several ways that can be used by the author to characterize a character in the story. As it has been
mentioned in the previous chapter, that the author gives direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about and the author can also descri
be a person’s mannerism, habit or idiosyncrasies to tell the readers about the character in the story Murphy,
1972: 173. By using several ways to characterize the character, Tsukuru Tazaki can be categorized as a reserved man. It can be seen from the the way he thinks and
from his habits. b.
Lacking self-confidence Besides characterizing Tsukuru as a reserved man, the author also
characterizes him as a person who is lacking self-confidence. It can be seen from his thoughts. When he is still in the group, there is something in his thought that
bother him. His four friends have one thing in common: their surnames all contain a color.
Tazaki was the only last name that did not have a color in its meaning. From the very beginning this fact made him feel a bit left out. Of course whether
or not you had a color as part of your name had nothing to do with your personality. Tsukuru understood this. But still, it disappointed him, and he
surprised himself by feeling hurt. Soon, the other four friends began to use nicknames: the boys were called Aka red and Ao blue; and the girls were
Shiro white and Kuro black. But he just remained Tsukuru. How great it would be, he often thought, if I had a color in my name too. Then everything
would be perfect Murakami, 2014: 6.
The quotation above shows that all of hi s friends’ names represent a color.
While Tsukuru does not. It makes him to feel a little bit left out. He feels that his personality is not as colorful as his friends.
However, all five of them are from suburban, upper-middle-class families. Their parents are baby boomers; their fathers are all professionals. At least their
families were peaceful and stable. Tsukuru often compares himself to his friends in the group. He thinks that if he has a color in his name, then everything will be
perfect. He will be the same as the others. Tsukuru’s best friend, Aka, is the one with the best grades. Ao is good in
sports. Shiro is beautiful and has a natural talent in music. While Kuro although she is not as beautiful as Shiro, she is independent, tough and a great reader. Tsukuru
has no special skills or talent. Thus, it makes him to feel like he is lacking of color. Another proof tha
t shows Tsukuru’s personality can be seen below: Tsukuru Tazaki was the only one in the group without anything special about
him. He wasn’t especially interested in academics. His grades were slightly above average. He didn’t mind sports but never was interested enough to join
a team. He had no deep interest in the arts, no hobby or special skill. He wasn’t especially outgoing and could never relax around people he’d just
met. There was not one single quality he possessed that was worth bragging about or showing off to others. At least that was how he viewed himself.
Everything about him was middling, pallid, lacking in color Murakami, 2014: 10.
There is also a moment that shows Tsukuru’s personality who is lacking self confidence. It is when Tsukuru tells Sara about himself
“I feel more often how dull and insignificat I am for other
people” Murakami, 2014: 32. From those quotations show how
Tsukuru sees himself. According to Murphy, someone’s characteristic can be revealed from what the character says Murphy, 1972: 164.
The quotations above, strengthen the writer’s opinion that Tsukuru is lacking self- confidence. He is not confident about his personality.
Tsukuru’s personality can be seen from his thoughts and the conversation between him and Sara. By applying
Murphy’s theory, the writer can characterizes Tsukuru as a person who is lacking self-confidence from the way he thinks and his speech.
Another statement that shows Tsukuru’s personality is from his thought that maybe he is fated to always be alone in his entire life. All of friends who come to
his life are searching for something and in the end they will leave him behind. Maybe I am fated to always be alone, Tsukuru found himself thinking.
People came to him, but in the end they always left. The came, seeking something, but either they couldn’t find it, or were unhappy with what they
found or else they were disappointed or angry, and then they left. One day, without warning, they vanished, with no explanation, no word of farewell.
‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki,’ he said aloud. I basically have nothing to offer to others. If you
think about it, I don’t even have anything to offer myself Murakami, 2014: 100-101.
Based on his way of thinking, Tsukuru can be categorized as a person who
is lacking self-confidence. This can be seen through Murphy’s theory. It is stated
in the book that the thought of the character may give a clue to hisher characteristic Murphy, 1972: 171
. Therefore, based on Tsukuru’s thoughts and the conversation with Sara, it gives clue that his personality is lack self-confidence.
c. Pessimistic
Tsukuru is not only characterized as reserved and lacking self-confidence but he is also a pessimistic person. This can be seen when he has the fear that one day
he will be separated from the group. Although Tsukuru is happy and proud to be included in the group, still he has the fear of being left by his friends.
Sometimes Tsukuru couldn’t understand why he was included in their group of five. Did the others really need him? Wouldn’t they be able to relax and
have a better time if he weren’t there? Maybe they just hadn’t realized it yet,
and it was only a matter of time before they did? The more he pondered this dilemma, the less he understood. He loved his four friends. Still, he had a
constant, nagging fear that someday he would fall away from this intimate
community, or be forced out and left on his own. The fear that he would be separated from the group and end up entirely alone Murakami, 2014: 12.
But actually, none of these concerns seem to bother the other four. Tsukuru thinks that one day he will be separated from the group because his name does not
represent any color at all . Based on Murphy’s theory, the thought of the character
can give a clue about someone’s characteristic, Tsukuru way of thinking gives the clue that he is a pessimistic person.
After his friends leave without any reason many years ago, Tsukuru still does not want to find the truth. He thinks that no matter what the truth was, it will not
save him. It can be seen from his conversation between him and Sara below: “If it had been me, I would have stayed there and not left until I got the
bottom of it,” Sara said. “I was not strong enough for that,” Tsukuru said.
“You did not want to find out the truth?” Tsukuru stared at his hands on the tabletop, carefully choosing his words. “I
think I was afraid of pursuing it, of whatever facts might come to light. Of actually coming face-to-face with them. Whatever the truth
was, I didn’t think it would save me. I’m not sure why, but I was certain of it” Murakami,
2014: 31.
From quotation above it can be seen that Tsukuru is pessimistic about his problems. He wants to forget it instead of finding out the truth. Another proof that
shows Tsukuru is pessimistic over his problems is when he has a conversation with Sara, “I’m not saying I didn’t feel like knowing the truth. But after all these years,
I think it’s better just to forget about it. It was a long time ago, and it’s all sunk within the past” Murakami, 2014: 32.
Tsukuru chooses to forget the problem between him and his friends. He thinks that he has to keep moving on and continue his life instead of going back to
the past and find out the truth. He thinks that searching for the reason or correcting a misunderstanding is beyond him. When his friends tell him that they do not want
to see or talk to him anymore, he cannot say anything or ask for their reason. Because he is shock. He feels that he might never recover. Murphy says that the
clue to the characteristic of the character can be seen through the speech of the character when heshe speaks in the conversation with another in the story Murphy,
1972: 164. Tsukuru’s pessimistic personality can be seen by his speech.
Before Tsukuru meet Sara, he dates several women. He has fairly long-term, serious relationships with all of them. He does not want to just play around. But he
cannot make it. He feels that he was not seriously attracted to any of them. He likes them but he feels that the problems are at him, not with any of the women he dates.
Tsukuru is afraid that if he really loves someone, the one that he loves might be gone without a reason and he will be left alone. Just like his high school friends
who leave him behind . Another conversation that shows Tsukuru’s personality can
be seen below: “You could only have a relationship with women you didn’t have to totally
open up to.” “I might have been afraid that if I really loved someone and needed her, one
day she might suddenly disappear without a word, and I’d be left all alone.”
“So consciously or unconsciously you always kept a distance between yourself and the women you dated. Or else you chose women you could keep
that distance from. So you wouldn’t get hurt. Does that sound about right?” Tsukuru didn’t reply, his silence an affirmation Murakami, 2014: 88.
The quotation above shows that Tsukuru is a pessimistic person. This is can
be seen through his speech when he speaks in the conversation with Sara. Tsukuru does not have any strength to find out the reason why his friends did not want to
see or speak with him anymore. He also only dates women who he does not have
to be totally open up to. Because he is afraid that if he get too attached with the women he dates, he will be left all alone again. He is afraid of being hurt by
someone he loves . Tsukuru’s speech in those quotations above gives the clue to the
writer that Tsukuru’s personality is pessimistic. The analysis above shows Tsukuru’s personality before he meets Sara.
Before he meets Sara, Tsukuru’s personality is reserved lacking self confidence and
pessimistic. It is not easy for him to reveal his feelings to the others. He has a flat- monotone life, so he does not have any single friend since his four friends leave
him. Tsukuru also does not have a close relation with his family. He tends to keep all of his feelings alone without share it to anyone including his family.
He once dates several women before he meets Sara but actually he is not attracted to them. Because he is so afraid that the people he loves will leave him all
alone again. So he prefers not to be open about his true feelings and his personality to the women he dates. Tsukuru thinks that maybe since he was born he is fated to
always be alone. Therefore, Tsukuru is characterized as a person who is reserved, lacking self confidence and pessimistic.