56 pages 1 hour read

Haruki Murakami

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1993

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Discuss the use of surrealism or magical realism in the collection. In what ways do they add nuance or meaning to the themes Murakami raises? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

2.

Pick one story in which to explore the impact of loneliness and isolation in the characters’ lives.

3.

How are the lives of Murakami’s narrators and characters impacted by modern issues, such as consumerism? In what ways do these issues contribute to their Existential Anxiety in the Modern World?

Related Titles

By Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

After Dark

Haruki Murakami

After Dark

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

A Wild Sheep Chase

Haruki Murakami

A Wild Sheep Chase

Haruki Murakami

Plot Summary

logo

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Haruki Murakami

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Haruki Murakami

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

Plot Summary

logo

Killing Commendatore

Haruki Murakami

Killing Commendatore

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

Plot Summary

logo

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Haruki Murakami

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Haruki Murakami

Plot Summary

logo

Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami

Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami

Study Guide

logo

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami, Transl. Jay Rubin

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami, Transl. Jay Rubin

Plot Summary

logo

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami