This report examines the main themes of the novel 'Under Water' and the use of crisis as a metaphor in Haruki Murakami's 'Kafka on the Shore'.

本報告旨在探討小說《Under Water》的主要主題，以及村上春樹在《海邊的卡夫卡》中將危機作為隱喻的運用方式。

The novel 'Under Water' uses a non-linear timeline, focusing on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Sandy to create a setting of disaster. The author uses short 'micro-stories' in the form of nightmares to show how the main character deals with the fear of death after a tsunami. A key part of the story is the idea of 'home.' Instead of seeing home as a fixed place, the author describes it as a place of meaningful connection, such as the father's strong bond with Thailand. Furthermore, the book explores how globalization affects our sense of place and whether people can feel a true connection to a country they were not born in.

小說《Under Water》使用了非線性時間軸，聚焦於 2004 年印度洋海嘯與颶風桑迪，以營造災難設定。作者以噩夢形式的短篇「微故事」來展示主角在海嘯後如何面對對死亡的恐懼。故事的一個關鍵部分是關於「家」的概念。作者並非將家視為一個固定地點，而是將其描述為一個具有意義的連結之處，例如父親與泰國之間的強烈紐帶。此外，本書探討了全球化如何影響我們的歸屬感，以及人們是否能對一個非出生地之國產生真正的連結。

Additionally, the text compares different types of human relationships. It suggests that friendships we choose for ourselves may be more emotionally important than family ties. The story also highlights the difference in how Western media covers local disasters compared to large international tragedies. In the New York scenes, the female protagonist is shown as a keen observer of the city. Her ability to notice details comes from both her scientific background and the need to stay alert as a woman in a big city. The author also mentions that language is often not strong enough to fully describe deep sadness and grief.

此外，文本比較了不同類型的人際關係。它暗示我們自行選擇的友誼在情感上可能比親情更重要。故事也強調了西方媒體在報導本地災難與大型國際悲劇之間的差異。在紐約的場景中，女主角被塑造成一名對城市敏銳的觀察者。她能注意到細節，既源於其科學背景，也源於身為大城市女性必須保持警覺的需求。作者還提到，語言往往不足以充分描述深沉的悲傷與哀慟。

Similarly, Haruki Murakami's 'Kafka on the Shore' uses a 'storm' as a symbol for internal psychological crises. Murakami emphasizes that these crises are unavoidable and lead to change. He asserts that the person who survives the 'storm' is completely different from who they were before. Unlike a natural disaster, this metaphorical storm happens inside the mind, meaning the person must accept and go through it rather than try to fight it.

同樣地，村上春樹的《海邊的卡夫卡》將「風暴」作為內在心理危機的象徵。村上強調這些危機是不可避免的，且會導致改變。他主張在「風暴」中倖存的人，將與之前的自己截然不同。不同於自然災害，這種隱喻性的風暴發生在心靈內部，意味著當事人必須接受並經歷它，而非試圖對抗。

Both works analyze how external trauma and internal identity interact, focusing on the permanent psychological changes that happen after a crisis.

兩部作品均分析了外部創傷與內部身份認同如何相互作用，聚焦於危機後發生的永久性心理改變。