Intention vs. Execution in Writing a Female Character -Alexia

In the interview between Kawakami and Murakami, I found their brief discussion on "The Little Green Monster" interesting. Murakami is surprised that women enjoy reading it, when he meant to portray the female narrator as scary and cruel. I agree with Kawakami in that she did not come off as particularly scary, but there was a familiar sense to her character. I think "The Little Green Monster" could almost be interpreted as some type of attempted sexual assault. A green monster enters a woman’s home, unexpected and uninvited, and tries to force a marriage proposal on her. The "marriage proposal” could very well be a euphemism for an unwanted sexual advance. While we know that this is not the case after reading the interview, it could still be an interpretation that unfortunately many women relate to. Additionally, it could also be viewed that the woman was standing up for herself, especially when she seemed to be torturing the monster with her mind. This could be another reason that women find this story enjoyable to read, because it is refreshing to see a woman stand up for herself instead of being submissive to a man’s desires. However, learning that Murakami’s intention was for the woman to be scary is particularly unsettling. Despite his intentions, this suggests that when women advocate for themselves, they are seen as cruel, rather than justified. Subsequently, this makes me wonder what this story would have been like if told from a man’s perspective. Would Murakami still view the narrator as scary, or would his interpretation change? And would he be equally surprised if men found the story enjoyable to read?