Self SacrificeMom's function and who she is are defined by the concept of self sacrifice. By sacrificing herself, she put the lives and well being of her children before her own. No matter what the personal cost, mothers are expected to ensure the well-being of their children, particularly the eldest male. The narrative doesn't offer any particular perspective on whether this is a phenomenon unique to the Korean culture. It does, however, clearly suggest that it is a phenomenon of archetypal scope, present in the lives and experiences of motherhood in general.
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Past and PresentThe most significant explorations of the relationship between past and present occur in Part 3 (the section of the novel narrated by Father which contains the story of Kyun) and Part 4 (the section of the novel narrated by Mom which contains the story of Eun-gyu). Both stories, and the relationships and situations they portray, reveal aspects of Mom's past that have haunted her every present day since. The emotional fulfillment offered by each of these relationships, as fleeting as it was, was a measuring stick of memory against which the lack of fulfillment in her relationships with her husband and children were measured, and almost always found lacking. It could be argued that Mom's present experience (i.e. physical disappearance from her life) can be seen as an echo of her past experience
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Shifting Nature of IdentityThe experiences and resultant transformational journeys of two of the central characters can be seen as evoking the shifting nature of identity. On the one hand, the narrative portrays Mom as experiencing an increasing and deepening loss of identity, a loss of self, an eating away of individuality by the greedy, essentially ungrateful demands of her children and husband. This loss of identity manifests, ultimately and entirely, in her disappearance. Once her children and husband are done with her, there is literally nothing left except memories, glimpses, and empty hopes. On the other hand, the narrative portrays Chi-hon as experiencing an expanding sense of identity, a growth into freedom and independence from what she has believed about defining herself in terms of her family to a newly discovered sense of independence. She also moves from being a bad daughter to acting like, and believing she is, if not a good daughter at least a better one. The transformations of these two characters become even more noteworthy when they are juxtaposed with the lack of transformation in other characters; for example, when Hyong-chol gives lip service to the idea of being a better son, but at the end of his section when he is still as self-absorbed and as self-important as ever.
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