Murakami's short stories and novels usually include the notion of the other world, the subconsciousness or an alternate reality, like a parallel universe. At first, I had a hard time grappling with this notion because I didn't know how to respond to a fiction with a realistic setting, but as I read more into his works I realized the magic of Murakami's works lies in the surrealism with a touch of humor. In the majority of his works, the other world often is a dark, cold place, where time has stopped. In "Sputnik Sweetheart," the other world is the carriage of the ferris wheel. Miu found herself trapped in the carriage, unable to escape, forcing her to observe herself having sex with Ferdinando. In this case, I argue that the other world is actually inside her head. My interpretation is that Miu actually has sexual intercourse with Ferdinando, but she does not want to admit it for some reasons. She is trapped in her subconsciousness, forcing to see herself having sex with a creepy Italian guy. Therefore, when she recounts the experience, she consciously or subconsciously separates herself from the scene by imagining the ferris wheel – the other world with another Miu – which sounds like dissociation, a situation where the mind is detached and separated from what they are experiencing. "The Girl from Ipanema" contains the exceptional other world that is full of music and sunshine, where Murakami talks to his childhood self or the singer who seems not aged at all. Looking back in time, or time travel, is like going to another world. This other world concept can totally just be one's mind, the imagination, that is a completely different world from the real, physical world we are living in right now.
-- Xiaoya
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