Salter 1
Kolya Salter
Dr. Robert May
ENGL 100
October 21st, 2022
Sexism and Objectification in
“On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning”
Haruki Murakami’s “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” is a
story about the explores the deeply problematic nature of infatuation and the consequences of
objectification. Using the flat nature of the narrator’s character, the misogynistic tone that
masquerades itself as friendliness, and the language which the narrator uses to describe the 100%
perfect woman, the author Murakami illustrates conveys the issue with how men perceive
relationships and sex. Ultimately, “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April
Morning” is a demonstrationsuggests of how that loneliness can transform a normal man into
vapid shell of misogyny and objectification.
The flat and static nature of the narrator’s character suggests that he lacks maturity. The
narrator describes his struggles of speaking trying to find a way to talk to the 100% perfect girl:
saying, “No, she wouldn’t believe it. Or even if she did, she might not want to talk to me” as he
is already “thirty-two, and that’s what growing older is all about” (209). The narrator is a lonely
man, who seeks seeking love in any way possible. Yet, he is petrified of rejection, and would
rather fantasize than act upon his desires. This mindset is expected of a teenager, not of a man
“thirty-two” years of age. The hesitancy to act is repeated throughout the story, showing that the
narrator is unwilling to change despite knowing “that’s what’s growing older is all about.” The
unwillingness to change that the narrator possesses is an indication of his lack of maturity.
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The narrator’s tone as hewhen he describes the 100% perfect girl reveals his internalized
sexism and misogyny. The narrator recounts his first sight of the girl as he walked by, sayingand
states “tell you the truth, she’s not that good-looking. She doesn’t stand out in any way” adding
further that he doesn’t remember “the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts” (207-208). A
focus on the woman’s physical aspects suggests the protagonist’s subtle deprecating views of
her. His description of her features is deprecating. He sees her and makes his judgement of
her based exclusively on how she looks, saying that she’s “not good-looking” and therefore
“doesn’t stand out in any way.” This reveals that he only values a woman’s worth based upon her
appearance. If a woman is not beautiful to him, he has no interest in valuing her as a person. The
100% perfect girl is the only exception to this rule. He establishes that he is still interested in her
despite his clear lack of attraction when he says, “but still, I know from fifty yards away: she’s
the 100% perfect girl for me” (208). A man should not be judged by how he treats the few, but
rather by how he treats the many. In this case, the narrator treats the manyothers like they are
unworthy of his attention because he does not sexually or romantically desire to fornicate with
them. If a man only values a woman for his sexual fulfillment, he does not value women at all.
The tone the narrator uses to describe his perfect girl seems endearing until a closer look reveals
the bigoted view he has towards almost every other woman.
The language used by the narrator to characterize the 100% perfect girl demonstrates how
he views women as objects of conquest. The narrator details his perfect date, starting off with
“ask[ing] her about herself, tell[ing] her about myself” before they “end up in bed” (208). His
main motivation behind getting to be with this girl is ultimately sex. He hides his intentions by
asking her about herself first, letting her believe that he cares what she has to say. More
importantly to him is what he has to say to her, his description of his life story. This is what
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he hopes will get her to sleep with him. He views the 100% perfect girl as his soulmate without
the faintest idea of who she: is saying, “she is the 100% perfect girl for me” (210). His
infatuation stems from his loneliness. He is a 32-year-old man without a partner and desperately
seeks the connection with every woman he sees. This in turn makes every interaction he has with
someone of the opposite sex tainted, as he feels the need to fulfill this lack of a partner so
severely that he only ever sees women for what they could do for him. In that way, every woman
to him is an object of conquest or a vessel for sexual fulfillment. When he discusses his favourite
type of girl, he says that he sometimes will “catch himself staring at a girl at the table next to
mine because I like the shape of her nose” (208). He is so deep into his solitude that he
sexualizes a stranger’s nose. Again, this demonstrates his desperate nature and his inability to see
women as anything more than sexual objects. The language the narrator uses to describe women
a reflection onreflect how society teaches men to see view women. As much as some of the
blame can be put on the narrator, he only knows to do what those before him have taught.
Overall, Murakami’s “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” is
aconveys a nuanced commentary on the rampant sexualization and objectification of women
today. The narrator is not the villain, but rather a symptom of a larger problem where women are
depicted as objects of desire. Thus, vilifying a single character serves no purpose as patriarchal
structures continue to perpetuate narratives of entitlement by men towards women.. Instead, it is
the responsibility of everyone to work towards unlearning these harmful behaviour
patterns so that one day stories like this one no longer exist.
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Works Cited
Murakami, Haruki. “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning.”
Translated by Jay Rubin. The Broadview Introduction to Literature: Short Fiction, edited
by Lisa Chalykoff, Neta Gordon, and Paul Lumsden, 2nd ed., Broadview Press, 2018, pp.
207-11.
Kolya, this is a great first paper, and the thesis statement about loneliness in
men leading to increased objectification and misogyny is compelling. Your
understanding of the narrative is evident, and there are great quote selections
throughout the paper. In particular, the first body paragraph about the flatness of
the protagonist is particularly strong, but I wish it were a tad longer. The topic
sentences were clear, and there was a logical progression in the arguments;
however, I’ve included some marginal comments to help streamline them to be
more direct. Some great ideas in this paper need to be fleshed out a bit more by
bringing attention to the quotes selected as evidence. I’ve included some
prompting questions to help guide further development. Remember, the basis of a
literary essay is breaking down literary devices, syntax, diction etc. Your
sentences are clear for the most part, but sometimes many short sentences disrupt
flow and sound almost like a choppy stream of consciousness. There are also a
few instances of passive sentence structure, which makes some of the sentences
convoluted. Remember to use active tense whenever possible to be more direct
and concise in delivering ideas. I’ve made a few suggestions to help guide your
formal writing for the following essay. Your MLA formatting is excellent, and
there were no mistakes! Way to go! Overall, this was an excellent first essay, and I
look forward to the next one! Great job!!
Mark: 76/B
