Through The Looking Glass

pushing the limits of reality
“In another moment Alice was through the glass, and had jumped lightly down into the Looking-glass room.” -Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

The novels we have read for this course have dealt with physical, tangible travel. Sputnik Sweetheart is the first book to deal with travel that is less concrete and more metaphysical. When Sumire disappears it seems that she has been the victim of some unfortunate event that sometimes comes with traveling abroad. When K comes across Sumire’s account of Miu’s traumatic experience, he concludes that Sumire has sought out this other world where the other version of Miu resides.

This crossing of dimensions reminded me instantly of Lewis Carroll’s story Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Carroll’s story follows Alice, of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fame, through a household mirror into a strange, different universe. While we do not follow Sumire to the “other side” the same principles apply. K even says, “Sumire broke through the mirror and journeyed to the other side.” (166) I find this comparison interesting because Carroll’s story and style of writing is very much based in fantasy with very little of the story actually occurring in the real world. On the other hand, Sputnik Sweetheart has a very strong base in reality, and simply descends deeper into a reality that is spliced with an imagined mirror world.

This concept of travel through dreams and travel to other sides of varying types is very ethereal, and hardly what first comes to mind when discussing “travel fiction”. That said, I am almost surprised that this sort of theme has not come up more often in our readings. While some characters have had spiritual experiences, none have really taken a big leap into an alternate reality in the way that Sumire does. Granted, there is the possibly that Sumire met an unfortunate, earthly fate, but it feels like this crossing to the other side is the more logical explanation.

I also found it interesting that Miu is able to open up to Sumire while they are in a foreign country, displaying the aspect of travel that frees you of your ties to home and the everyday stresses that weigh on you. Travel leads to a release of her demons and a change in the structure of her personality. In Daniel Zalewski’s article for the New York Times Book Review “Lost in orbit…” he mentions, “The human self has become a disturbingly malleable thing. As with Sumire, it can change beyond recognition. As with Miu, it can snap in two.” This idea of malleability is central to travel of any variety and how is has the ability to drastically change a person’s outlook on the world. By creating a world where personalities can split and people can seek other realities, Murakami is highlighting what normal travel can do by presenting it in a seemingly supernatural light.