Al-Rowad International School, English Department
Grade 9 SAT : Literature
The Seventh man by Haruki Murakami
Summary: A group of seven people share their stories on a stormy night. The
seventh man tells the story of a great wave that devastated his life. He explains that
as a child, he lived by the ocean in Japan. When he was ten years old, a typhoon hit
his town. People stayed safely inside, but during the eye of the storm, he and his
best friend K. walked to the beach. As they looked around, he saw a great wave
approaching. He called to K., but K. didn’t hear. The seventh man ran for safety
(Survival Instinct) K. was drowned, yet the seventh man could have saved K.
(Survivor Guilt). For forty years, the seventh man is haunted by guilt, guilt, and
uncertainty, but then he reconsiders what he did, or failed to do, that day.
The theme: We should confront our fear in order to overcome it.
Frame Story: A story that frames another story where the seventh man talks to ---
---------------------------- using the ----------------person point of view
Interior Story: the main narrative when the seventh man tells about his trauma
through ------------------technique using the ----------------person point of view.
-The typhoon to the adults was a --------------------------------while to the kids, it
was a -----------------------------.
The precautions during the typhoon:
1- -------------------------------------------------
2- -------------------------------------------------
3- -------------------------------------------------
The seventh man is tormented and conflicted between his desire to save his friend.
And his desire to save himself and stay alive.
K.’s parents never blamed the seventh man, nor did his parents, yet he blames
himself for not saving his best friend.
After the loss of his friend, he imprisoned himself in his fear that he:
1- -----------------------------------------------------
2- -----------------------------------------------------
3- -----------------------------------------------------
A moment of epiphany came to him to free him of his fear
Epiphany: a sudden flash of insight into a certain situation (a moment of
realization and recognition). Examining K.’s paintings helped the seventh man to
free himself from the guilt that has constrained him his entire life and to realize
that his friend K. would never blame him for what happened.
Internal conflict: is the conflict within a single character.
The seventh man led his life with the conflict and guilt that he could have saved K
and his desire to save himself.
Symbolism: the use of words or images to symbolize specific concepts,
people, objects, or events.
The wave is a symbol of -------------------, ------------------, ---------------
Characterization
Direct Characterization:
Direct Characterization: when the author tells the reader directly about the
character. (The description of K. in paragraph 10)
Indirect Characterization: when an author reveals a character's traits through
actions, thoughts, speech, etc., instead of saying it outright.
Use of Figurative Language
Examples of
simile: -------------------------------------------------------------
Personification: ---------------------------------------------------
Metaphor: ____________________________________
