A Wild Sheep Chase struck me as a very communist book. No character has an actual name. If any, people are given nicknames (like Rat, or the Boss). The only one to be given a name was the main characters dog, and that moment ended up being a very magical occasion because of the naming. Also, the main character of the book is always indifferent towards the events that are happening around him. As is described in the early pages of the book by his female partner: he's a man who wants to be boring. Even when he's taken to the Boss and is thrown into a crazy adventure to find the sheep with a star on its back, he never loses his mind. He always takes things at face value and therefore, it lets him see things clearly. This seems to be a common motif throughout the story, being able to see the truth of things by not letting every day trivial things distract you. This idea is strengthened by the book the main character keeps reading, Sherlock Holmes.
Another theme the book touches on is obsession. The main character obsesses over his girlfriend's ears. The boss's assistant and anyone who is touched by the sheep obsesses over the sheep. It provides a neat contrast between the obsessiveness and the level-headedness of them all. The contrast brings about some disconnection between the reader and the characters, but I think this was on purpose. It was the author's way of telling the reader not to take what's happening so seriously. Again, bringing that communistic philosophy into the tone of the book.
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