As book two progresses however, Toru becomes more accustomed to the mark, and it does not bother him any longer. This feeling of acceptance is due to Toru’s belief in fate. When Toru is at the salon, getting the haircut Nutmeg paid for, he is quoted saying: “And on my face shone this bright blue mark. It didn’t seem ugly or unclean to me. It was simply part of me, something I would have to accept.”(Marakami, 381) This theme of fate also makes an appearance in one of the stories involving the veterinarian with the same blue mark. In the Veterinarians own words, “I, as an individual, am living under the control of some outside force.” (Murakami, 509) In this instance, the outside force mentioned is fate, and the blue mark on his face symbolizes this. The veterinarian believed that “Fate would demand its portion, and until it received that portion, it would never go away.” (Murakami, 509) He believes that the mark on his face would not go away until fate decided otherwise.
The mark on Toru’s face also helps him in the process of self discovery. Prior to Toru experiencing important events in his life, Toru observes his mark changing colour and temperature. As Toru gets closer and closer to breaking the barrier of the well and entering room 208, his mark becomes warmer, and it changes to a more vibrant colour. An example of the mark being an indicator to Toru is when he is attempting to purchase the “Hanging House” along with the well: “The mark was trying to tell me something: it wanted something from me. I have to have that well. Whatever happens, I have to have that well. This was the conclusion I had reached. In this case, the mark helps aid Toru in the discovery of his own fate.
From the first diptych in this class on the well, we learned that it symbolizes the understanding of himself. When the well is dry, Toru is confused and lost, but when water flows in it, Toru gains knowledge of his own existence. From the quote I previously mentioned, the mark would go away only when fate was satisfied. From this idea, it is not hard to understand the reason why Toru lost his mark in the end of the book. When Toru finally broke the barrier of the well, and discovered the images and events in room 208, this filled the missing gap in his life. This discovery of his own being was in fact the fate that Toru was destined to receive for the entire book. Once his fate was fulfilled, and the water once again returned to the well, the mark no longer had reason to be on his face. With regained control of his mind, Toru no longer needed the mark as an indicator.
