In Asian culture however, flow is also referred to as the path life will carry you on. In essence, it means that even when flow seems to take you higher or lower, you must go with it. Occasionally, there may not be any flow at all and you’re not meant to go anywhere. The important point is, go wherever flow may lead you. In the event that it becomes obstructed, or if one tries to go against the flow, dire consequences can follow. As you can see on page 51 about halfway down, Mr. Honda tells Toru Okada “It’s not a question of better or worse. The point is, not to resist the flow. You go up when you’re supposed to go up and down when you’re supposed to go down. When you’re supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. When you’re supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. When there’s no flow, stay still. If you resist the flow, everything dries up. If everything dries up, the world is darkness.” Being one of the more important quotes in the book, we see the foundation of the book laid out as this is the reason why he travels to the bottom of the well. Toru Okada reflects on the quote about flow because he has suspected a disturbance in the flow, and as afore mentioned, any disturbance in the flow is not good news. On page 43, Malto Kano says in response to why the cat has left, “That I cannot tell you. Perhaps the flow has changed. Perhaps something has obstructed the flow.”
The initial cat is similar to Nobaru Wataya in several ways including name. The cat was named Nobaru because it reminded Toru and Kumiko of Kumiko’s brother Nobaru. The most notable feature of the cat is its bent tail. The bent tail indicates that the tail is not straight and smooth like it should be but instead crooked suggesting that something is wrong. Crooks are criminals because their mind isn’t set on the right path…instead their minds are bent towards evil doings. Similarly, the bent tail hints that the cat isn’t how it should be but is instead crooked, like Nobaru Wataya. While the cat does stay at home, we notice the absence of Nobaru Wataya from Kumiko and Toru’s life. However, once the cat disappears Nobaru Wataya once again re-enters their life as he defiles Kumiko. The absence of the flow, as Malta suggested, disrupts the flow and chaos begins to break loose. Wataya is seen as a “defiler” who has ruined many women including Kumiko, and Creta. He is a very powerful politician who defiles people not physically, but rather mentally. However, Toru Okada learns how to heal people and receives a mark on his cheek. Once Nutmeg takes Okada for his first “fitting”, we notice that the cat has returned despite it “not being in the neighbourhood” as said by Malta. The cat that has returned is unlike the original cat in the sense that there is no longer a bend in its tail. This implies that the flow is no longer barred and can once again flow freely. We also notice at this point that once the cat has returned, order has begun to restore itself in Toru Okada’s life.
Now that the cat has returned into Okada’s life, he notices that the tail is no longer bent. As a result, he decides to rename the cat since it was no longer ‘crooked’ like Nobaru. Instead, the cat represents a new beginning. When Okada learns of his new healing powers, he also heals himself in the sense that he is no longer lonely and depressed like the state he was initially in when Kumiko left. At this point in the novel, Nobaru Wataya no longer exists in Okada’s life as he conquered him in his mind and as a result, flow can return. Flow is said to be flowing again and is shown by the flow of water as the well starts to fill up towards the end of the novel.
