"Death is not the opposite of life; it is a part of life."

    Murakami's works carry a unique loneliness, and death is one important way to shape that feeling. In A Wild Sheep Chase, at the start, when Boku shows numbness toward marriage, he mentions attending a funeral. The girl who died was once his partner. She had her own special view of the world and understood some of his inner loneliness.

"Live until 25," she said, "and then die." In July 1978, she died at 26.

    Murakami presents her death in an absurd way, as if she could not have even died the way she wanted. Maybe at 25 she discovered she wanted to live more, but no matter what, she died in an accident at 26.

"Drinking has nothing to do with the funeral; only the first one or two drinks do." 

    This is how the wine Boku drank after the funeral is explained. It also shows how indifferent he was to death at the start. Yet, when the Rat dies at the end, he cannot drink during their conversation and breaks down in tears like never before.

    I really like one explanation about the "sheep": they represent a collective thought. The flock has its own society, just like people do. At first, Boku was indifferent and did not belong to this society. But when he finally felt sorrow over another's death, it meant that he had become part of society. In a way, the sheep entered Boku.

                                                                                                                            Mingyuan