55 pages 1 hour read

Haruki Murakami

After Dark

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2004

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Chapters 5-9

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary

Walking down a side street, Kaoru declares that they should go someplace to drink. Mari is too young to drink, but Kaoru tells her to get a nonalcohol beverage. At a small bar, Kaoru drinks a beer and Mari has a sparkling water. They discuss Guo, and Kaoru asks Mari about herself. Mari is in college studying Chinese. She wants to be a freelance translator to avoid the 9-to-5 work grind. Mari explains that, growing up, her parents told her to study hard because she could not rely on her looks like her sister, Eri. Kaoru affirms that Mari is good-looking, saying, “You’re plenty damn cute. It’s true: I’m not just saying it to make you feel good. Let ‘em get a load of me if they want to see ugly” (67).

Growing up being told she was “ugly” took a toll on Mari. She eventually developed a phobia of school, and it was not until she found a Chinese school in Yokohama that she felt comfortable again. Her parents were not happy. They wanted Mari to go to a prestigious school: “They had our roles picked out for us: the elder sister, Snow White; the younger sister, a little genius” (69).

Related Titles

By 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 Elephant Vanishes

Haruki Murakami

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories

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