"The Ice Man" by H. Juel https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t By Haruki Murakami en-us 2023-04-11 18:51:37 UTC 2023-04-27 16:54:06 UTC hello@padlet.com "I don't know when it began, or when it ended, but before I knew it I was locked away, alone and numb in the endless winter of that world of ice. " hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356425 2023-04-24 23:19:27 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356425 "I stayed shut up in my hotel room gazing out at the gray skies that wouldn't clear for months, struggling to learn the complicated grammar of the South Pole language, something I knew I'd never master." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356674 2023-04-24 23:19:53 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356674 "It wasn't long before he learned the language and spoke with the locals in hard, icy tones. They talked for hours, intense looks on their faces, but I didn't have a clue what they could be talking about. [...] It upset me at first, and I felt like I was left behind, betrayed and abandoned." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356957 2023-04-24 23:20:15 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566356957 "All the South Pole people liked him a lot, and they couldn't understand a word I said. With white breath and frosty faces they talked, joked around, and sang songs in that distinctively spirited language of theirs. " hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357201 2023-04-24 23:20:37 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357201 "Occasionally I'd stop passersby and ask where the penguins were, but they'd merely shake their head. They couldn't understand my words, so I'd end up sketching a penguin on a piece of paper to show them, but all I got was the same response: a silent shake of the head. I felt so alone." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357398 2023-04-24 23:20:57 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357398 For good or bad, what are some of the ways that we communicate without using words? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357954 How might the communication without words be misconstrued?]]> 2023-04-24 23:21:48 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566357954 Note how close the words "communicate" and "community" are. What does it feel like to not be part of the crowd, part of the festivities? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566359451 Why is community important?]]> 2023-04-24 23:24:28 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566359451 To what degree do you hold the narrator responsible for her situation in this social setting? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360179 2023-04-24 23:25:45 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360179 Can you imagine a different outcome for this woman and this couple? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360484 What would it take?]]> 2023-04-24 23:26:21 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360484 How does Murakami define "community"? What general observations is Murakami making about the significance of community? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360944 2023-04-24 23:27:12 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2566360944 Social isolation significantly increased a person's risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. Social isolation was associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567845284 2023-04-25 21:45:36 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567845284 Kodokushi (孤独死) or “lonely death” is a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. In many cases kodokushi happens due to an extraordinary absence of family. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567845505 2023-04-25 21:46:01 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567845505 Many female hikikomori are not acknowledged because women are expected to adopt domestic roles and their withdrawal from society can go unnoticed. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567846854 2023-04-25 21:48:25 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567846854 The cause of hikikomori is not well established. Many practitioners report that patients become hikikomori after a stressful event triggers new socially avoidant behavior that then extends into hikikomori. Some studies find that hikikomori is correlated with dysfunctional family settings or having experienced trauma. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567847047 2023-04-25 21:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567847047 A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567847243 2023-04-25 21:49:03 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567847243 hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567848080 2023-04-25 21:50:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567848080 hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567848967 2023-04-25 21:52:04 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567848967 hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567854623 4:18 minutes]]> 2023-04-25 22:01:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2567854623 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569337855 Gary Cooper is the embodiment of the expectations of Japanese men to be the strong silent type.]]> 2023-04-26 20:31:39 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569337855 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569338949 Another image that shows their marriage dynamic clearly. Submissive woman kneeling before a strong man. Armor also helps show the strength required of the man, loose silk that hangs to show the “weakness” and submissiveness of the woman. Armor is also representative of the man being the one that needs to go out and do a job to provide for the family. Putting the job first since the armor is still on, even with the woman.

]]> 2023-04-26 20:33:00 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569338949 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389081 The narrator in Murakami’s “The Ice Man”, is a typical Japanese woman trapped in a typical Japanese marriage. How she got to be married to him begins normally enough, with her intrigued by the mysterious silent man at a ski resort. He doesn’t talk about himself, but instead lets her pour her entire life out onto him. “How do you know so much about me? I asked. Are you a mind reader?” (Murakami 211). This could be interpreted as him being an extra special being, when the reality is she talked her socks off to him, and The Ice Man being a silent listener repeated back things she had told him to show interest. 

]]> 2023-04-26 21:46:28 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389081 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389713 Murakami reinforces the Japanese relationship stereotypes within the first few pages. The narrator is a very young woman pursuing a silent strong man. The only divergent element is “No one celebrated our wedding” (Murakami 213). Japanese marriages according to manhattanbride.com have a whole purpose of combining and uniting the two families involved as much as the couple itself is uniting. Murakami, while keeping the dynamics of the couple stereotypical, the dynamic of the families not being involved in the wedding is atypical.

]]> 2023-04-26 21:46:43 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389713 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389883 Japanese men are brought up to be workers first and family men second. The importance of being a good worker and benefiting the company comes first. Murakami shows this with the long drawn-out process of the couple trying to plan a vacation. “I don’t think traveling is all that great, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, go wherever you want. I’ve worked hard at the warehouse and should be able to take some time off” (Murakami 214). Work first, everything else second. 

]]> 2023-04-26 21:47:03 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569389883 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569390589 Some key traits of the narrator are: People pleaser, submissive, attached, isolated, and feeble]]> 2023-04-26 21:48:13 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569390589 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569392206 Murakami deviates from standard Japanese gender roles with the narrator getting her way some of the time, an example being the vacation. Now he reinforces the gender stereotypes with the narrator finding any excuse to cancel the trip since she knows her husband would rather be at home. Deep down she is terrified of displeasing him, yet he does want her to be happy at the end of it all.

]]> 2023-04-26 21:50:42 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569392206 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569396560 The average Japanese woman is expected to be submissive her entire life according to japanpowered.com. More specifically, submissive to the men in her life, especially her husband. The men go off to work and provide for the family, while the family is the full time job of the woman. Women even go to classes early in their life to prepare for taking care of families. One interesting aspect is that the women are in charge of the finances despite the men being the provider. And some men are even given an allowance from their wife to help with budgeting.

]]> 2023-04-26 21:57:41 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569396560 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569397719 The “Ice” in “The Ice Man” is supposed to represent his silence and being closed off. Or at least the way the narrator sees him. He’s not very different from what Japanese men are supposed to be like according to their society, but “Ice” is generally not a very warm and welcoming word when used in discussion. 

]]> 2023-04-26 21:59:57 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569397719 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569400965 The ending of the passage is the circle of life continuing on just as Japanese society expects it to. “And I knew this, too: my child would have the same icicle eyes as his father” (Murakami 218). The child is clearly a boy, and is going to grow up to be a hard working silent man just as his father was before him. The narrator pains over this, but knows there is nothing she can ultimately do.

]]> 2023-04-26 22:06:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569400965 ethanlevinsky https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569403380 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzF83e_L100

I watched this documentary in high school and just got reminded of it by reading the padlet bubbles. Really fascinating.

]]> 2023-04-26 22:10:11 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2569403380 "I had the same awful dream night after night. I'm walking somewhere when I fall into a deep hole. Nobody finds me and I freeze solid. I'm frozen inside of the ice, gazing up at the sky. I'm conscious, but can't even move a finger. It's such a weird feeling." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570628933 Is it "weird" to feel what she describes?  Is what she experiences "weird" in the sense of uncommon?]]> 2023-04-27 16:13:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570628933 "To tell you the truth, I was frightened. If we went to the South Pole, I felt something terrible was going to happen to us." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570630648 Why do you think she says "us"?]]> 2023-04-27 16:14:48 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570630648 How common are the following premonitions and dreams? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570631532 2023-04-27 16:15:27 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570631532 The Ice Man tells her: "It was only a dream [...]. Dreams come from the past, not from the future. Dreams shouldn't control you--you should control THEM." hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570637078 Discuss the truth and the irony of his statement.]]> 2023-04-27 16:19:39 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570637078 What is love? What is commitment? What are the sacrifices and to what extent should one sacrifice for the other? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570640393 2023-04-27 16:22:16 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570640393 It may be effective still in the short term, but many end up with burnout, health issues, relationship struggles or something else had to give. And of course, we end up feeling taken advantage of whilst it was our own behaviour rooted in feelings of unworthiness, fear of conflict or rejection that contributed to a lack of boundaries. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570643707 2023-04-27 16:24:59 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570643707 People-pleasing is an adaptive behaviour that once was an effective survival strategy and that has become habituated, either to gain something (acknowledgement, acceptance, approval, sense of belonging) or to avoid something, such as fear of rejection. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570644166 2023-04-27 16:25:23 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570644166 Altruistic suicide is the sacrifice of one's life in order to save or benefit others, for the good of the group, or to preserve the traditions and honor of a society. hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570644483 2023-04-27 16:25:38 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570644483 Is there a name for sacrificing everything to make a partner happy? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570645444 2023-04-27 16:26:29 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570645444 On the first read of this story, how much compassion did you have for the narrator? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570655910 2023-04-27 16:34:53 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570655910 How do you define the ideal marriage? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570672459 Is it only an ideal or is the ideal marriage also real and possible?]]> 2023-04-27 16:48:15 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570672459 Do you think gender roles have evolved or changed in such a way as to make "ideal" or mutually satisfying marriages possible? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570675910 What are some factors (in gender-terms) that challenge or interfere with achieving a mutally satisfying marriage?]]> 2023-04-27 16:51:09 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570675910 How important is the approval of others when forming a relationship? hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570677342 2023-04-27 16:52:18 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570677342 The last line of the story is: "And I cry some more, icy tears welling up endlessly in our frozen little home in the far-off South Pole". hjuel1 https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570679287 What is the definition or concept of "home"?]]> 2023-04-27 16:54:00 UTC https://padlet.com/Honors_ENGL_1302_Magical_Realism/1qsltmnuhrq7726t/wish/2570679287