This thesis examines Haruki Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore, focusing on its dialogue with Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex. It emphasizes the main characters and shared motifs, including fate and free will, prophecy, murder, incest, and the resulting guilt. Unlike classical tragedy, Murakami situates the protagonist in a metaphysical space, where the prophecy is fulfilled without a fatal downfall. Kafka’s confrontation with trauma and guilt, together with his act of forgiving his mother, enables his personal growth and liberation from the past.
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