I'm scared, she said. These days I feel like a snail without a shell. I'm scared too, I said. I feel like a frog without any webs. She looked up and smiled. Wordlessly we walked over to a shaded part of the building and held each other and kissed, a shell-less snail and a webless frog.
In this poignant moment from Haruki Murakami's "South of the Border, West of the Sun," two characters express their deep fears and vulnerabilities. The girl likens herself to a snail without a shell, symbolizing her sense of exposure and fear of the world, while the boy feels like a frog lacking its webbed feet, conveying his own feelings of inadequacy and fear.
As they comfort each other, their physical connection—their kiss—serves as a moment of solace amidst their insecurities. This tender interaction highlights their emotional intimacy and the human experience of feeling lost or unprotected, ultimately bridging their individual vulnerabilities.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
