Cassi's World Literature Blog!

Throughout this course, I have most definitely learned so much about things I would have never thought to look into! There were many unexpected moments that I believe both changed and surprised me. As far as change goes, I think the large variety of perspectives we looked into and considered definitely changed my viewpoint on many things and expanded my worldview. For example, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan or The Secret River were books I probably would have never read on my own, but I think they tell critical stories and taught me a lot about areas of the world outside of our little bubble. I am coming out of this course with a much more well-rounded view of our world and, while I know I still have so much more to learn, a better grasp of many cultures I knew very little about previously! Most of my surprises in this class came from our study of book history. The visits to the Archives and Special Collections definitely played a big role in this, as well as some of the deep dives we did in class li...

For the open blog post this week, I just wanted to write out some thoughts I was having regarding Noa's plotline.  I think his storyline has given us a really interesting alternative perspective in this section, and there is a lot to dissect! Firstly, it reminds me of the conversation we had in class on Tuesday. We talked about how there are different reactions and ways of performing cultural assimilation, and now we see Noa on a very far end of the spectrum, where he denies his Korean heritage altogether.  His decision to do this speaks to the discrimination present at the time. While I was reading, I was wondering how the plotline would be different if he remained attached to his Korean identity. Would he still be able to get the position he currently works? If not, would there be an opportunity for something comparable or would all positions be closed off to him as a "foreigner"? Would his wife still be with him? Would her family allow it?  I also can't help but wo...

Noa's girlfriend Akiko "would always believe that he [Noa] was someone else, that he wasn't himself but some fanciful idea of a foreign person; she would always feel like she was someone special because she had condescended to be with someone everyone else hated" (307). I thought this insight by Noa was particularly powerful and telling of Akiko's (and many other people's) attitude toward Korean people. Akiko viewed herself as "heroic" for wanting to be with Noa, even though he was Korean. In this mindset, she still views being Korean as a deficit, something negative. I think this can be enlarged to Japanese society as a whole in a lot of instances. For example, later in Noa's life, his boss at the Pachinko parlor has an idea that he is a foreigner but decides to "let it slide" because he is a good worker. This is the same mindset his eventual mother-in-law has as well. They likely believe that they are doing this out of righteousness, ...

 For me, one of the most interesting discussions this section of Pachinko sparks is the idea of women working. In Korea, Sunja grew up working her whole life. Her father passed relatively earlier on in her life, so she was constantly surrounded by her hardworking mother and "sisters" in the boardinghouse. For her, work is a normal part of life. As a contrast, Kyunghee finds herself in the position of a housewife (and Sunja does along with her). Yoseb is fiercely protective of this structure, seeming to take it as an insult if the women wish to work. To him, them wanting to work comes across as them believing he cannot provide for his family.  When reading, I was proud of Sunja and Kyunghee for making their way up the ladder and finding their restaurant job after starting as vendors on the street. However, my thoughts all shifted when it was revealed that Hansu organized this opportunity for them.  It made me curious if they would be able to find work and reach this same o...

 Religion really stood out to me in this section, especially in Isak's storyline, but also in Noa's. A quote that I especially wanted to talk about was on page 176 when Lee writes, "The big secret that [Noa] kept from his mother, aunt, and even his beloved uncle was that Noa did not believe in God anymore" (Lee 176).  I think there is a lot to consider here, but with specific reference to the blog post, I wonder if being raised in Japan has anything to do with Noa's difference in faith. In Korea, Sunja was not raised to believe in God, but did not seem to be against it, and had little difficulty "converting" or at least convincing everyone that she wanted to be a part of the church. Being raised in a very religious family on his dad's side, with Isak and Yoseb both being active members of the Christian faith, it would be assumed that Noa would also be Christian. However, there are many factors in his life outside of being raised in his Korean househo...

 I think it will probably be a popular opinion, but I definitely think Isak is a lot more likable than Hansu. Looking back at our class discussion last week, Sunja's relationship with Hansu started off in a rather manipulative way, and only continued to get worse. Isak, on the other hand, started off treating her with respect and kindness. He follows the more "traditional" path of marriage during that time, where they did not interact much before their marriage. Although today we may find this odd, I wonder if at the time, this adds more to his respectful and kindhearted character. I think Lee's decision to have Isak and Hansu look quite similar on first glance, with both wearing "Western" style suits, being from Osaka, and having relationships with Sunja, helps emphasize the differences in their characters even more. Even when Sunja compares their touches, she describes Isak's as more "gentle" and explains that Hansu never approached it this w...