The Metaphysics of Name Reference in Murakami’s A Wild Sheep Chase

 In the chapter titled “One for the Kipper”, the chauffeur tells Boku that “[towns and parks and streets] are all given names in compensation for their fixity on the earth” (Murakami 182). Dissenting from his original identification of name function as it pertains to purpose, Boku suggests that a name denotes a permanence of state within space and time. At the same time, the protagonist posits that “the basis of naming is this act of conscious identification with living things” (Murakami 181). Interestingly, none of the characters in A Wild Sheep Chase have a name beyond arbitrary nicknames or placeholders like the Rat or J. Taken in conjunction with the two definitions, the lack of proper names in the novel reveals the protagonist’s lack of connection to the physical world and his reluctance, and potentially fear, to render his relations permanent. Throughout the novel, Boku attempts to legitimize his lack of emotional attachment to most things which an average person may find significant: a pet, a hard-earned job, a marriage, a home. Time and time again, he denies having anything of value in his life and instead, argues that he has absolutely nothing to lose. When discussing names with his semi-magical girlfriend, Boku mentions the futility of naming every object in existence, alluding to the corrupting nature of mass production which strips things of their meaning, thereby also removing the necessity for names as something that lacks meaning does not require a name. Boku’s emphasis on being “an utterly mediocre person” (Murakami 163) throughout A Wild Sheep Chase plays into the idea of a faceless generality; the protagonist believes he and the relationships he may hold are insignificant, hence, the lack of name reference. 

However, at the same time, the absence of names may be understood in a completely opposite light. The name of an object is not the same as the object itself; a name is representative of an object like a shadow but fails to grasp the essence of its reality. When we give things names, we project our subjective perception onto the external world thereby converting the real object into something new - something that it is not. Perhaps, Boku refuses to give things names in order to avoid confusion of their reality in hopes of uncovering the things themselves rather than the shadow. In that case, Boku is no longer drifting through life without a sense of direction or purpose but is doing the exact opposite: he is experiencing the world for what it is, not for what it appears to be and subsequently, does not require a name for himself either because he is acquainted with his true self rather than a phantom disguised under pretense.

- Ruska Mumladze