Pachinko

 Pachinko was a very important book. Not only did it touch on gender roles and the role of women in Asian society, it ended in a way that solidified the fact that Korean lives did not miraculously get easier one day. To end the book on that note would have been an unsubstantiated claim about Korean life. Now, I will admit that I hated the ending when I first read it. But hearing other’s thoughts on it in class made me realize the significance of the ending. Pretty everything in Pachinko is purposeful. From the historical references to the connection (or lack thereof) to biblical characters, Lee hand-picked each word in her book, and it yielded an impactful finished product. Death was also a major theme in the book. It kind of showed how, no matter how rich you are or how hard you work, everyone dies in the end. The distinction Lee made between the different deaths is how the deceased person is remembered. Isak’s grave gets visited frequently. He is loved by his family, and they cease to let the memory of his life be forgotten. When Isak was dying, he was surrounded by family who loved him and cared for him. But Hansu, who was objectively a worse person, was surrounded by nurses in a hospital at the end of his days. No family was there to love him. So, although everyone dies, only few are lucky enough to die loved, and to have their memory persist beyond their passing.