Chapter summaries The City and Its Uncertain Walls Haruki Murakami

Chapter 48 (Chapter 47) – Rituals, Repetition, and an Enigmatic Map

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The narrator reflects on Yellow Submarine Boy's increased interest after seeing him at Mr. Koyasu's grave. He describes the boy's silent, repetitive routines at the library—reading, watching cats, wearing only two parkas. The narrator visits the grave alone and feels lonely without the boy. He realizes his own life has become similarly repetitive. Mrs. Soeda reports that Mr. Koyasu hasn't appeared in four weeks, deepening the narrator's sense of loss. The boy then sends an envelope containing a detailed map of the walled town, shocking the narrator.

Key Events

  • The narrator senses Yellow Submarine Boy watching him at the grave and learns from Mrs. Soeda that the boy rarely speaks and communicates mainly in writing.
  • The narrator observes the boy watching a mother cat and her kittens for hours; the kittens are later adopted, and the mother cat briefly panics then returns to normal.
  • The narrator researches Yellow Submarine movie characters, identifying the boy's second parka as Jeremy Hillary Boob, PhD.
  • Visiting the cemetery alone, the narrator feels the boy's absence and acknowledges his own repetitive habits.
  • Mrs. Soeda confirms that Mr. Koyasu has not been seen for four weeks; the narrator experiences a metaphysical sorrow at his possible disappearance.
  • The boy gives Mrs. Soeda a business envelope addressed to the narrator, who hesitates before opening it.
  • Inside is a single sheet with an ink drawing: an accurate map of the walled town.

Character Development

  • The Narrator: His growing attachment to routine mirrors the boy's; he craves an audience for his story about the walled town, revealing his need for connection.
  • Yellow Submarine Boy (M): Despite his near-silence, he acts decisively by sending the map. His careful observation of cats and books hints at a deep, private inner world.
  • Mrs. Soeda: She becomes the narrator's confidante in the secret of Mr. Koyasu's nonexistent existence, reinforcing her role as a bridge between the mundane and the mysterious.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Repetition: Both the narrator and the boy find meaning in repeated actions—visiting the grave, wearing the same clothes, watching cats. The chapter suggests that repetition itself becomes a goal.
  • Observation as Connection: The boy watches cats without touching; the narrator watches the boy. Seeing and being seen become forms of intimacy.
  • The Map as Bridge: The drawing of the walled town is a tangible link between the narrator's current life and his past. It shocks him physically, as if reality tilts.
  • Absence and Nothingness: Mr. Koyasu's prolonged disappearance and the narrator's reflection on a "deeper state of death" introduce the motif of nothingness as an almost tactile presence.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery surrounding Yellow Submarine Boy and marks the first direct communication from him to the narrator. It also solidifies the link between the library world and the walled town through the map, raising the stakes. The narrator's emotional response to Mr. Koyasu's absence shows his growing attachment to a person who was never fully alive, blurring the line between the real and the imagined.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does the narrator feel lonely when Yellow Submarine Boy does not appear at the cemetery?
    The narrator admits he wanted the boy to hear his story, not just Mr. Koyasu. The boy's silent, attentive presence had become part of the ritual; without him, the narrator feels something essential is missing, revealing his need for a living witness.

  2. What does the mother cat's reaction to her kittens' removal suggest about the chapter's themes?
    The mother cat's initial panic and later resigned acceptance mirror the way characters cope with loss—first with confusion and search, then a quiet return to routine. It foreshadows how the narrator may feel about Mr. Koyasu's disappearance.

  3. Why does the narrator hesitate before opening the envelope from the boy?
    The envelope feels "almost weightless," and the narrator senses it carries something significant. His delay suggests a fear of what the content might confirm or change, as if opening it will break the careful equilibrium of his repetitive life.

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