Since the modern era, Japanese literature has adopted new aspects of writing as a response to Westernism. Some Japanese writers have manifested through their literary works this substitution of culture which, in addition to being only external changes, has left profound internal conflicts of adaptation in society. Accordingly, the short story “The Elephant Vanishes” by Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous Japanese writers of the 21st century, portrays an alienated man haunted by the disappearance of an old elephant and his caretaker. Murakami gives the old elephant a symbolic meaning; therefore, his disappearance seems to call into question the existence of the traditional lifestyle in Tokyo. Furthermore, the author has many Western influences in his writing style, but he also inherited the mysticism of the Eastern world that is presented in his story. Murakami, in addition to being Japan's most commercial and global writer, is unconsciously faithful to its traditional principles. Therefore, the story "The Elephant Vanishes" contains magical elements of the Japanese consciousness of modern society. The setting focuses on the conflict between tradition and modernity. The story is set in a suburb of Tokyo when Japan's economy was booming. Specifically, the city's old zoo is sold to a developer to be replaced by the construction of a skyscraper. As a result, this new infrastructure in the city implies changes in the living pattern of residents as it attracts more businesses and people. Usually, small towns have more traditional lifestyles; however, with the construction of large buildings, the inhabitants would have to adapt to a more populated and commercial city....... middle of paper...... personal pronouns as long as the text is understandable. This provides an impersonal aspect in Japanese literature that places a high value on the effect and not the cause. In the Man'yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry, there are examples of omission of the subject. Accordingly, “Since the heavens and the earth were separated…” (Shirane 89). Also in this case the exclusion of the subject gives a sense of spontaneity; to be more specific, things can emerge on their own. In another poem, “The Lament for Prince Kasukabe,” the author writes, “At the beginning of heaven and earth / on the banks of the celestial sky river…” (Shirane 69). In this case there is no word that refers to the person responsible for creating heaven and earth. Obviously, Murakami uses his native language naturally, and this implies Japanese characteristics in his literary works.