Discussion questions
1. Why do you think a sheep was chosen as the main symbol of this novel? Think of some of the characteristics we attribute to sheep, as depicted by the following quotations;
“ A wolf in sheep’s clothing”
To be a “black sheep”
I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd.
Bible, 1 Kings 22:17
"Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends." (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
"The American people are sheep. They're comfortable, rich, working. It's like the Romans, they're happy with bread and their spectator sports. The Super Bowl means more to them than any right." (Jack Kevorkian)
We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
Book of Common Prayer 1662: Morning Prayer
The conception of two people living together for twenty-five years without having a cross word suggests a lack of spirit only to be admired in sheep.
Alan Patrick Herbert
2. What do you think were some of the major themes of the novel?
3. This book was translated from Japanese. Did knowing this change your reading of the novel?
4. There were many references to Western pop-culture throughout the book. Did you notice this? Did it contribute to your enjoyment of the novel?
5. Why do you think the narrator was forever telling us what he was eating? Did you notice this?
6. The narrator meets a woman with magically seductive ears and a strange man who dresses as a sheep and talks in slurs; in this way there are elements of Japanese animism or Shinto. Did you enjoy these characters, or did you dismiss them as silly? Which was your favourite character and why?
From Wikpedia…..In religion, the term "Animism" is used in a number of ways.
Animism (from animus, or anima, mind or soul), originally means the doctrine of spiritual beings.
It is often extended to include the belief that personalized, supernatural beings (or souls) endowed with reason, intelligence and volition inhabit ordinary objects as well as animate beings, and govern their existence (pantheism or animatism). More simply, the belief is that "everything is alive", "everything is conscious" or "everything has a soul".
It has been further extended to mean a belief that the world is a community of living persons, only some of whom are human. It also refers to the culture or philosophy which these types of Animists live by, that is, to attempt to relate respectfully with the persons (human, rock, plant, animal, bird, ancestral, etc.) who are also members of the wider community of life.
7. The narration was a combination of the everyday ordinary and deeply phlisophical? Were there any everyday observations that resonated with you? Were there any events that captured your imagination? Were any of the philosophies meaningful to you?
8. Would you describe this as a mystery / detective novel? A journey / quest? Other?
9. Did you like the ending?
10. Did you enjoy the novel?
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