Murakami on Sexuality and Gender

The largest blemish on Murakami's career as a writer (aside from his pretty weird sex scenes) is the criticism he faces for the way he writes female characters. It can also be argued that his portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters are similarly stereotypical and underdeveloped. As a huge fan of his writing, I often find myself defending these portrayals to friends when I recommend his books, even though I do recognize his weaknesses on these fronts.

I find it harder to defend his portrayals of women in particular. Reading through many of his works, the hypersexualized roles that his female characters often occupy come across as somewhat egregious, especially for a first-time reader. While not all of his novels contain women that fit this description, the fact that they exist at all is a fair criticism. Being the optimist I am - and a huge fan - I want to believe that Murakami has good intentions, that he genuinely holds no conscious prejudice or bias against women, and that any such reading of his female characters is coincidental. But even granting him pure intentions, it remains a valid point of criticism, even if it isn't something that directly affects my enjoyment of his storytelling.

I take a similar stance on his portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, who are often somewhat stereotypical. His gay male characters tend to be defined by neatness, good looks, and a put-together demeanor - with little variation - and his queer female characters frequently treat same-sex attraction as something non-serious or "in the past." These are both fairly reductive characterizations. That said, I want to believe his intentions are good here, too; these stereotypes aren't inherently negative, and portraying queer characters at all was fairly progressive for his era.

Ultimately, I think the general (though not constant) weakness in his female and LGBTQ+ characterizations is a valid criticism, and one I recognize. But it isn't one that truly detracts from my enjoyment of him as an author. His own openness on the matter actually makes me feel a little better about it. The fact that he hasn't even noticed these patterns himself suggests he's writing from a place of genuine openness and falling into them unconsciously (assuming that he isn't feigning his innocence). Both weaknesses are also compounded by Murakami's unsightly sex scenes, which makes me wonder whether the root of the issue lies not in misogyny or homophobia, but in his just generally weird relationship with sex - though I can't say that with any certainty.