Question

The seventh man summary

Answer 1

The story "The Seventh Man" from Haruki Murakami begins with a meeting where there are seven people, and each of them is to speek. The main character of the story is the last person to talk: the Seventh Man.

The man tells how, when he was ten years old, a typhoon and a tsunami struck his hometown. After the typhoon ended, he and his best friend, who he simply calls "K", went out to assess the damages it caused. However, when they were outside, a gigantic tsunami started to form. The man realized this, and wanted to warn K, but instinctively ran away in fear. The tsunami caught both of the boys, but only the narrator survived.

The man carried the guilt of having abandoned his friend with him throughout all his life. He developed a terrible fear of water and for the next forty years he had no happiness.

After the man's parents died, he came back to his hometown where, after finding some old drawing K had done, he went to the shore and understood that he had been foolish to not face his fears.

At the end of the story, the setting returned to the meeting where the Seventh Man was proclaiming that the worst thing a man can do is live in fear and let that steal something precious away for him.

Answer 2

The Seventh Man tells a meeting where everyone has their turn to talk. The main character in the story is the last one to speak: hence it is called the Seventh Man.  

EXPLANATION  

The story begins with a meeting where everyone takes turns talking. The main character in the story is the last one to speak: hence it is called the Seventh Man. The man described a terrible incident when he was ten years old. The typhoon in his city was followed by a real tsunami. The man related that after the typhoon struck, the city was in the whirlpool of a storm. The little seven humans were allowed to go outside to observe the damage but not go far. Yet, he wants to look beyond his yard. He and his best friend K went to the beach to see the debris.

Arriving at the beach the boy realized that something was happening in the water. Not long the big waves come to the two children. Miraculously after almost a year suffering his injuries, the boy physically survived. However, he was haunted in his dreams and thoughts by feeling guilty for the death of his friend. Forty years passed, and the man never married or found happiness. The Seventh Man states that the most miserable thing for humans is to live in alienation and fear from others.  

The story mainly revolves around three characters. The Seventh Man, whose trauma made him unable to approach the water, told of the incident that affected his entire life. K character is not given a name, this may be intended to represent the feelings of everyone who has also felt fear and guilt. The last character K is a disabled boy who has great artistic talent.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

- How does the water function as a symbol in “The Seventh Man?” Does the water’s meaning change from the beginning to the end of the story? brainly.com/question/5526138

KEYWORD: The Seventh Man, literature, the Seventh Man summary  

Subject: English

Class: 7 - 9

Subchapter: The Seventh Man