Men Are the Consumable

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Men are the Consumable is an essay collection by famous Japanese novelist and film director Ryu Murakami ( 村上龙 ). It is very popular in Japan.

"Man and Woman" and their relationship seem an eternal topic in popular culture. Every adult might claim "I can tell you something", yet many can’t elaborate at great lengths. Mr. Murakami now wants to share his frank feelings in this book.

The book advocates the view that “woman is of more strong character”. The author recalled that when he was young he once had sex with his friend’s girl friend when his friend happened to go out for work between 9-12 pm at night. That night, only he and his friend’s girl friend stayed home and they could not resist their sexual desire toward each other and quickly had a sex together. However, when her friend finished work and came back, his girlfriend immediately started with eager greeting, while Mr. Murakami, her one-time sex partner was still sitting there. “You must be tired,” she showed her warmest affection towards her boyfriend, like nothing had ever happened before, certainly not having sex with another man just a moment ago.

That moment made Mr.Murakami realize that perhaps men and women are of different character. Women seem more strongly built and can withstand more ups and downs in the life. Men probably can never bridge that gender difference. With a sudden frustration he decided not to seduce any man’s wife in his life.

In addition, Mr.Murakami found that in any given year, he has ever heard of that there would be many unattractive women that could not get men to marry them. When walking outside or touring a mall or city park, he has seen so many unattractive women, but they seem to all get married and have their kids. The success of these unattractive women has eloquently proved that women, as a species are of more intelligence and better skilled to survive. Compared to women, men are of inferior wisdom and strength. A man, even initially starting in a fitting environment will wither in the end, while a woman has no such problem.

Most women know by themselves how to enjoy life, sex, love and its proper order, no teaching ever needed. But most men are quite slow, they don’t know how to enjoy these until they grow up or have experienced some learning. There are a lot of womanizers in men, but it is very rare on the woman’s side. Such gendered contrast persists into the animal world. The author saw once that a male dog, in a sexual high pursued a female earnestly and eventually was bit to death by the female dog, because the latter is not in estrus, thus has no interest in "sex".

The author has a unique view about love relationship. He said that he never really appreciate faithfulness from a woman and admire such a woman. He like a woman of such that she is not afraid of her husband’s death; she might take initiative to abandon her husband, or replace her husband constantly with a different man while giving birth to children of different fathers and repeating that with the rest of life. According to The author "This is really a woman's woman."

The author wants that his woman is exactly like that and he knows there exists such kind of woman. “Otherwise,” he said, "I would be incredibly depressed."

He asserts that it is precisely this kind of woman who would not abuse her sexual life, but give love exclusively to her husband and her children. However, for a man to do the opposite equivalent: kept replacing his lady yet take good care of children born out of each of the wedlock, "I have seldom heard of such men". Neither smart nor strong, men are just like consumables in author’s view. “You can throw it away just like a disposable lighter when it is no longer working.”

Mr. Murakami made a sensation in Japan when he was twenty four year old with his first novel "Almost Transparent Blue" hitting sales volume of 3.5 million. Based on his personal experience, the novel describes that on a U.S. military base, a group of young Japanese men and women addicted to alcohol, drugs, rock music, violence and a promiscuous life, eventually not only feels at a loss about the future, but has great remorse toward the past as well.

Mr. Ryu Murakami has the same last name with another famous Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, the author for "Norwegian Wood".

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