That's the kind of death that frightens me. The shadow of death slowly, slowly eats away at the region of life, and before you know it everything's dark and you can't see, and the people around you think of you as more dead than alive.
The quote from Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" expresses a deep fear of a gradual death that lacks suddenness. It suggests that this kind of demise is terrifying because it is insidious, with death creeping in slowly and overtaking life until all vitality is extinguished. This slow fading can leave a person feeling isolated and invisible to others, who may perceive them as already dead.
This reflects a profound existential concern, where the transition from life to death feels less like an event and more like a process. As life diminishes, the connections with people weaken, creating a sense of abandonment and despair. It's a haunting portrayal of how life can slip away unnoticed, leaving behind an empty shell that others no longer recognize.
