A Leaping Decision Within Oneself

            Throughout generations, society has placed different roles on individuals. Some believe that each person has their own destiny and tasks to fulfill in order to become a person of name. Freud’s psychoanalytical concepts are displayed in “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,” where Katigiri battles within himself of what he believes is best to do in order to better his name in society and inner satisfaction. Being the one who had to clean up after other peoples’ mistakes or incidents, Katigiri would encounter many situations where he was the protagonist. Through Freudian Lens, one would agree that the Frog in the story would represent an inner wish fulfillment of an inner motivation that Katigiri needed in order to understand his inner worth in the society he lived in. Also, through Freudian Lens, one can conclude how society’s expectations on individuals like Katigiri, can affect the development of their id, ego, and super-ego. The individual is externally controlled by the ego whose choice making is affected by the id and the super-ego. As a man who has sacrificed much of what he had to gain a good title, one can conclude that Katigiri has a strong id that has wanted to control decisions that he makes, leading to an inner negotiation between the id, ego, and super-ego. Moreover, Katigiri learns to adjust and balance his id, ego, and super-ego although he has been greatly influenced by a society that expects a tremendous amount of hard work from him; creating a self-actualized individual in society.

For starters, it is clear that one can visualize how Katigiri would have to balance between the id, ego, and super ego. In the article, “The Dissection of the Psychical Personality” by Sigmund Freud, he states that the super ego “goes back to the influence of parents, educators and so on…” (66). In other words, Frog can be described as the super ego. Katigiri himself was the ego and worm are the id. Frog is considered the super ego who is created within Katigiri’s imagination because in the story, “Super Frog Saves Tokyo,” he mentions to Katigiri, “The world is like a great big overcoat, and it needs pockets of various shapes and sizes. But right at the moment, Worm has reached the point where he is too dangerous to ignore.” By Frog, the super-ego, telling this to Katigiri, he was letting Katigiri know that it was time for him to not allow society to determine how he should live his life. Frog (super-ego) demanded that he realize his place in society and his value as an individual. Worm is described as the id because it is the negative and dark thoughts that would want to fear a man like Katigiri into becoming the individual that he had the potential to become. Hence, these thoughts and conversations with Frog led Katigiri to negotiate within himself between his id, ego, and super-ego.

Furthermore, Katigiri’s thoughts show that there is a wishful fulfillment that he would want to reach.      In the story, “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,” Frog also states, “You are nothing much to look at, and you are far from eloquent, so you tend to be looked down upon on by those around you. I, however, can see what a sensible and courageous man you are.” This quote demonstrates the wishful fulfillment that Katigiri wants to be accepted in his society. His super- ego speaks through him as Frog, acknowledging the fact that he has always been a hard-working man who has thrived in receiving recognition for his hard work. Therefore, it is clear to conclude that Katigiri’s wishful fulfillment is a reason that Frog was created in his imagination as the super-ego; to guide Katigiri, in what he believed was best. That is why Frog chose Katigiri to fight worm. He believed he was the humblest in all of Tokyo who could help Frog stop Worm from creating a devastating earthquake in Japan.

Subsequently, Murakami wrote this short story in order to give a message to the society that he lived in. According to scholarly source, “Echo of an Earthquake,” by Jay Rubin, he states that Murakami’s writings “suggests people are in critical need of reaching out to one another and finding meaning in connection.” The story “Super Frog Saves Tokyo” was written in 1995 after the Kobe earthquake struck Japan. It devasted many homes, leaving many families poor and in financial crisis. This is also why Frog states in the story that the “Big Bear Case” needed to be solve and that he would solve it for Katigiri. Murakami understood that Japan was in an economic crisis. There were people without homes and without jobs, leading economy to drop. This therefore led to an economic crisis that Murakami lived in as well and could witness. His writings like “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,” gave the critique on society. He wanted his readers to understand that Japan was in a time of need. Murakami stressed the fact that the people needed to connect and become unified in order to help each other grow and build back to where they were before the earthquake.

Additionally, Murakami’s critique on society is seen in the short story as well. In “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,” Frog states, “The whole terrible fight occurred in the area of imagination. That is the precise location of our battlefield.” (Murakami) This quote shows how people in Murakami’s society were similar to Katigiri in the story. According to second scholarly source, “The Kobe Earthquake, Ten Years Later,” it states, “The earthquake disrupted the lives of residents and affected the economy in innumerable ways. (Olchansky) It damaged 85 percent of the region’s schools, many hospitals, and other public facilities. Extensive damage to rail, road, and port facilities took up to seven months to repair.” This is another reason why Murakami commented on society through his short story. People battle within themselves and negotiate what they believe is right because of what is occurring around them. Katigiri could have indulged in a by-stander effect where he could simply give up and let another person be chosen by Frog. However, he understood he was the only one who could make a change, and that is the change that Murakami wanted his readers to understand in his society. He sought to let individuals know that they were all capable of being part of a beneficial change. Even if one person wants to make a difference where they lived. it is a change that can reshape the world in which one lives.

Evidently, one can summarize how Haruki Murakami critiques and comments on the society through “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo.” The story also shows how Katigiri would negotiate within his id, ego, and super-ego because of the environment he lived in. This negotiation in one individual also displays the society because one would make decisions based off of what is occurring around them. Katigiri was a man of integrity whose main desire was to receive recognition, which was given to him by Frog, his super ego. He himself (the ego) had to accept that he was enough and realize his worth, instead of giving in the darkness which was worm (the id). Through this story, Murakami also displayed the time he wrote this short story in, which was after the Kobe Earthquake of 1995 in Japan. It caused devastation and an economic crisis, but through his writing, one can see how he felt about the society in the time when he wrote the story. In brief, one can conclude that he had hope for a society that needed growth and one that could achieve it.