Keiko Furukura is a convenience store employee who excels at her job, keeps to herself, and is a kind person who causes no harm to others. Although she possesses qualities that would be considered normal, Keiko is characterized as abnormal because she does not conform to society’s expectations of marrying before age 30, having children, or holding down a job. office.

“People who are considered normal like to judge the unjudged, you know,” is one of those quotes that stays with you long after you close the book.

In “Convenience Store Woman,” author Sayaka Murata presents a fascinating exploration of identity and societal expectations, culminating in a gripping moment of self-acceptance for the protagonist, Keiko Furukura.

Throughout the novel, Keiko, a socially awkward woman in her thirties, struggles to conform to conventional roles: marriage, a traditional career, and fitting into the mold imposed by society. However, it is his job at a convenience store that gives him a sense of belonging and belonging that no other path can offer him.

It’s interesting to see society in black and white from the protagonist’s point of view. Keiko feels neither the need to become romantically involved nor the pressure to climb the social ladder. Her mind recognizes that others may find her unusual, but she continually struggles to come up with new explanations instead of admitting that she is thriving as a “Smart Mart” employee.

Keiko approaches life with a clinical, almost mechanical mindset. She views her job at the convenience store as a system of clear rules and functions that give her a sense of order in an otherwise chaotic world.

“I wish I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a staff member and things weren’t as complicated as that. Once we put on our uniforms, we were all equal no matter what. either our gender, age or nationality simply store workers.

The store becomes her anchor: a place where she knows exactly what is expected of her and where she feels most in tune with the world around her. For Keiko, the structured environment of the store stands in stark contrast to the ambiguity of human relationships and societal norms, which she finds confusing.
As human beings, we strive for individualism but live in a highly collectivist society. As soon as a black sheep is spotted, we quickly reject it. Keiko struggles to blend in among her peers, even within her family.

She constantly seeks advice from her sister on how to act “normal” and imitates others to fit in. Keiko is smarter and funnier than most people give her credit for, but her career choices and single status overshadow her qualities.

The sentence “She is much happier to think that her sister is normal, even if she has a lot of problems, than she is to have an abnormal sister for whom everything is fine. For her, normality – however complicated it may be – is much more understandable”, that caught my attention. questioning everything in our contemporary society, because the concept of being comfortable in your own skin does not exist without others trying to change certain aspects of you.

Some may say that Keiko’s story lacks a character arc, but I view this absence as intentional. The emphasis is on accepting one’s true self rather than changing or “fixing” it.

“You’re eliminating the parts of your life that other people find strange. Maybe that’s what everyone means when they say they want to ‘cure’ myself.” It’s another one of those statements that makes you take step back and see how complex and yet simple our society is. People who don’t fit into a box don’t come with the “fix me” label. They just want to be accepted as they are.

Keiko found comfort in a routine work life as a convenience store clerk. She feels valued when her work is appreciated and enjoys her systematic life where the outside world keeps trying to change or fix her as if she were a machine.

The charm of this simple story is that people will always ask you for something and the list never ends, but it’s a privilege to know that what you have is enough.