Abstract
This paper examines the evolution of societal perceptions and role of women in Japan, particularly in the context of patriarchal ideologies, social and cultural constructs. Drawing on various scholarly perspectives this endeavour explores significant shifts in perceptions and treatment of women in Murakami’s novel After Dark. Through his novel, Murakami aims to explore the male dominance and female resistance in Japanese society, highlighting the ways in which women have been marginalised and relegated as secondary to men due to the ingrained customs. The study also looks at how women respond to these opinions within the family and society. Using literary analysis, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the quest for female authority by encapsulating the complex interplay of historical, societal, and literary dimensions shaping the status and agency of women in Japan. Murakami delineates the intricacies of societal expectations, interpersonal relationships, and individual autonomy by portraying women with multifaceted identities, each navigating their own struggles and aspirations. This study portrays the female confinement in Japanese tradition which took several years to gain recognition but has since become a distinctive metaphor of the evolving literary period.
Keywords: Beauty, Existential Crisis, Identity, Gender, Prostitution.