Essay #1
In Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, King Shahryar believes he is unfortunate because his wife cheats on him. He wishes to alter this injustice by killing all the virgins in his vicinity “but he little [knows] how cunning…women are” (19). Haruki Murakami’s “Scheherazade” explores the cunning in Scheherazade’s relationship with Habara. Scheherezade thinks she is unfortunate because she experiences an addiction to a boy earlier in her life. Regardless of the harm she causes to the boy and his mother, Scheherezade perceives her addiction as injustice done to her. Moreover, she wishes to alter this injustice even if it means addicting other men to her, leaving them without the object of their addiction, and therefore killing them. She is merciless due to her supremacy. In the second passage of “Scheherezade” with the description of how lamprey eat trout, Murakami uses narration, situational irony, and allegory to represent Scheherazade’s supremacy and Habara’s inferiority.”
Murakami’s narration is in third person limited in regards to Scheherezade and in third person omniscient in regards to Habara. Scheherezade has control over what readers know or think about her; however, Habara does not have control. Scheherezade has the opportunity to speak freely and extensively. She can explain abstract ideas and have them supported by the narrator. Her comments are not criticized. In contrast, Habara’s remarks are always scrutinized. She can pose questions to Habara and demonstrate her greater ability and knowledge through what she says. Moreover, she can conceal her identity and cleverly avoid questions that could give anyone a glimpse into the thoughts she does not want seen:What do lampreys think about? Lampreys think very lamprey-like thoughts. About lamprey-like topics in a context that’s very lamprey-like. There are no words for those thoughts They belong to the world of the water. Its like when we were in the womb. We were thinking things in there, but we cant express there thought in the language we use out here. (102)
Scheherezade appears too complex to be understood. However, this is true only for those addicted to her such as Habara. She creates that addiction by assuming the dominant role in their relationship. Her ability to start, lead, and end stories when and how she wishes is evidence for her dominance. “[After sex she talks and he listens], adding an appropriate word here, asking the occasional question there” (101) thus making Habara a simple receiver in their relationship. Furthermore, he is portrayed as a fool through the narrative. For example, he does not know what is a lamprey. More importantly, he does not know that Scheherezade is a lamprey. His errors are a weakness that other individuals can exploit. Moreover, Scheherezade uses Habara for her own purposes and takes advantage of his weaknesses systematically.
Murakami uses Habara’s words and thoughts to build situational irony. Habara is unaware of the foolishness that the narrative attributes to him, the dominance that Scheherazade accumulates, and the dangerous position he is in since he is addicted. As Habara indicates, nobody who comes across “Scheherazade, Lamprey, Former Lives” in his diary will understand what the words mean (102). However, Habara will not understand the imminent danger Scheherazade’s lamprey like-behavior creates for him either. He is caught in her trap. Ironically, Habara listens and enjoys stories of how he will be consumed and destroyed by Scheherezade. Her stories only give him the benefit of forgetting his daily troubles. More significantly, they cost him his attention to caution and suspicion. Habara is inferior to Scheherezade, as he is not able to think critically about her, her intentions, and their relationship. He even believes that their shared moments of intimacy secure his own freedom. Habara entertains himself with the possibility of “[becoming] a nameless lamprey” (109) when in the company of Scheherezade. Only after he thinks independently and tries to picture himself as one can he understand that he cannot be a lamprey but only a trout. This is a moment of epiphany for Habara. If Habara had experienced this epiphany sooner, then perhaps he would not be as inferior to Scheherezade as he is now. The illustrated cover of “Scheherezade” is a misleadingly serene portrayal of a bayou. The outlines of a woman’s face are subtly visible, but a close observation of the lower segment of the outlines may reveal a whirlpool. Similarly, Murakami’s Scheherezade is a whirlpool that can drown individuals, yet it appears serene on the surface.
The allegory of the lamprey and the trout most clearly identifies Scheherazade’s supremacy and Habara’s inferiority. Scheherazade can be interpreted as a cunning lamprey and Habara as a clueless trout. The former eats the latter. Scheherazade is not a stereotypical predator that conceals her possible course of action; on the contrary, she boasts about being a lamprey. Unfortunately, Habara does not identify Scheherezade as the predator outside of her stories. Habara is addicted to her because he becomes “bound to her physically” (104) and emotionally. “Should her visits come to a halt… he would be alone” (109) and without the ability to connect intimately with someone. Habara knows that the lack of an intimate connection with someone would make him immensely sad. Therefore, Habara is not in possession of himself. Scheherezade’s actions have direct consequences for him. Vivid imagery that describes how lamprey eat trout also describes how Scheherazade eventually eats Habara. Her dominant position as a lamprey cost Habara his life.
Habara’s dive into the darkness can be interpreted as him being destroyed by Scheherazade. It can also signal death, loneliness, loss of freedom, the realization of personal error and eventual defeat, or any other unwanted result. Murakami represents Scheherzade’s supremacy and Habara’s inferiority through the use of literary devices. First, Murakami employs ambiguity in the last scene so that Habara’s destruction is not one-dimensional. Scheherezade is able to harm Habara, as she is superior and Habara is inferior. Second, the narration in “Scheherezade” praises Scheherezade and belittles Habara, so Scheherezade’s strength is consistently emphasized throughout the work. Third, Murakami employs situational irony to focus on Habara’s flaws. Therefore, Habara is weak and vulnerable to Scheherezade’s attacks and the readers’ criticism. Moreover, the allegory of the lamprey and the trout represents Scheherezade’s supremacy and Habara’s inferiority. Finally, Habara’s entrance into the darkness after his interaction with Scheherezade is parallel to a trout’s death after being eaten by the lamprey.
Word Count: 1058
Works Cited
Murakami, Haruki. “Scheherazade.” Trans. Ted Goossen. The New Yorker. 13 Oct. 2014: 100-09.
Print.
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. Trans. N.J. Dawood. New York: Penguin, 1973: 15-23.
Print.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank LeGrand Northcutt at the Writing Center for assisting me with this paper.