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Loren Landucci, Independent Scholar, JapanAbstract
This essay examines how Haruki Murakami utilizes magical realism to critique the destabilization of individual identity within Japan’s collectivist social framework. Focusing on two works of short fiction, The Elephant Vanishes and TV People, this essay explores theories of isolation and societal displacement. A literary analysis supported by sociological theory illustrates how Murakami’s works, and more specifically his use of magical realism, embody the tension between the individual and the collective within modern Japanese society. Through this lens, notions of social conformity, institutional pressure, and the psychological weight of maintaining surface-level social harmony are deconstructed.
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Conference: ACAH2026Stream: Literature/Literary Studies
This paper is part of the ACAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Landucci L. (2026) The Elephant Vanishes, TV People, and Identity in Modern Japan ISSN: 2186-229X – The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 445-451) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-229X.2026.35
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-229X.2026.35
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