Similarities Between 'Hangovers And The Elephant Vanishes'

As part of different assignments throughout this semester, I read multiple stories recommended through out the learning section in various units. I found that most stories were fascinating, and captivating.

Of all the stories I read, two stories in particular caught my attention - "Hangovers" by Jennifer Pashley, and "The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami.

While both stories seem to fall under dark abstract humor, the story by Haruki Murakami is my favorite because of the liberal dosage of narration of events through witty language, while "Hangovers" story wasn't as narrative.

The story "The Elephant Vanishes" falls between the realm of magical realism, and capitalistic realism. Through the humorous narration, the story somewhere touches the raw nerve about the political absurdities in an urban society. For instance, at one place, the narrator states in the story: "“The town has any number of responsibilities it should be taking care of before it gets into the business of keeping an elephant—sewer repair, the purchase of a new fire engine, etcetera,” the opposition group declared, and while they did not say it in so many words, they hinted at the possibility of some secret deal between the mayor and the developer. " (Murakami, 1993). This clearly outlines how an urban society politically deals with something as trivial as an elephant maintenance, and mocks at the way we cross over similar experiences in our world.
He brings to our eyes on how ridiculous and futile, it was to bind an old, frail elephant with a thirty feet long thick chain, which is bound to a concrete slab. (Murakami,