A Wild Sheep Chase- Grasping at Reality

One aspect of A Wild Sheep Chase that really jumps out to me is the contrast between Boku’s plain acceptance of seemingly magical elements and the mental exercises he does to ground himself in reality. The first major instance of this for me was when his most recent girlfriend predicts that Boku will receive the call that launches him on the “wild sheep chase” down to the timing and subject matter. Though he does briefly question her after the call comes, he shows no dissatisfaction over the lack of answer. Another instance is when she insists on staying at the Dolphin Hotel with no other reason than her intuition. Though Boku would prefer to stay at a nicer hotel, he easily agrees to their stay without demanding an explanation of any kind and doesn’t seem particularly surprised when the hotel leads them to their next major breakthrough in the search. I would expect most people to be more surprised or affected by their significant other’s seemingly prophetic abilities, but Boku takes them in stride without much of a second thought.

On the other hand, Boku seemingly engages in several mental exercises throughout the novel. For example, he takes special attention to note numbers. Occasionally, he groups numbers in a sort of counting pattern (one… two… three…). He also seems to especially mention numbers involving 3 (3 cranes at his hometown, 3 ten yen coins, drawing 13 stars, counting above the number 3), though I am not quite sure if there is any significance here or if it is pure coincidence. Boku also attempts to calculate impossible numbers in his head, such as the rotational speed of the earth or the total number of times he and his ex-wife had sex throughout the course of their relationship. In both cases, he seems frustrated with the lack of a satisfactory answer and even states, “Accurate figures give things a sense of reality.”

Based on this context, the best reason I can think of for these thoughts and behaviors is that he uses them as a way to keep a grasp on reality. This especially makes sense with the context of the Rat’s letter where he states he can no longer count above the number 3. It makes for an interesting contrast when Boku doesn’t seem particularly phased by mystical, unreal events that would typically stand out to anyone else based in reality, yet he regularly engages in behaviors commonly associated with grounding oneself in reality, suggesting that it might be something he worries about or struggles with unconsciously.

-Angela Pyo