Fight for independence or remain loyal to Japanese employer?

Use this forum to discuss the January 2021 Book of the month, "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley
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Brenda Creech
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Re: Fight for independence or remain loyal to Japanese employer?

Post by Brenda Creech »

Njokime wrote: 19 Jan 2021, 05:13 I found Mr. Seoh weak, but if I think about this deeply. Not everybody is able to fight or give up their comfort, I think some people are just meant to be support crew. At least Mr. seoh always fed and gave Mr. Koo some money each time he passed by.
That's true, he did. I think he managed to do both, protect his family and job while contributing to the cause financially was his way of fulfilling his duty to actually go out and fight! Personally, I think he made the right decision.
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Post by Damian Keyes »

I'm a huge supporter of Mr. Seoh stance on the situation. He's showing that he can separate the two predicaments, while benefiting from both sides. Mr. Koo is his friend and feels that he should protect him as far as he can, without fully being associated with the cause for retaliation that can hurt his family life. Mr. Seoh is actually my favorite character because he represent the person who knew how to follow the Japanese government rules, while still being an advocate for his culture rights and freedom.
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Post by Nferdi20 »

I think Mr. Seoh did what so many people do with children, they make sacrifices. He knew what he should do and believe, but his responsibility to his family came first. Although, he did help the movement by encouraging others and provided money when he had it.
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Post by prakritisingh »

This is a very difficult question. There are times when we want to serve our country and fight for our people. In that situation, a person is determined to fight against all odds with full determination. They worry least about what would happen of their families when there is no income or food. But they keep on fighting till they gain independence. Such a character portray patriotic feeling for their country and people. But on the other hand, it is not bad to think of their families or their comfort first. Who does not want to live a happy life. If proper income, comfortable housing and healthy food comes at the cost of being loyal to the Japanese rulers, some may want to do it as well. They just want to give their families a good life. And in my personal opinion it is not bad to do so.
It just depends on person to person which path they take.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Dman_1996 wrote: 28 Jan 2021, 14:21 I'm a huge supporter of Mr. Seoh stance on the situation. He's showing that he can separate the two predicaments, while benefiting from both sides. Mr. Koo is his friend and feels that he should protect him as far as he can, without fully being associated with the cause for retaliation that can hurt his family life. Mr. Seoh is actually my favorite character because he represent the person who knew how to follow the Japanese government rules, while still being an advocate for his culture rights and freedom.
I understood that he wanted to protect his family, considering that a lot of people depended on him, not just his immediate family. However, I wouldn't completely agree that he remains to be an advocate for his cultural rights and freedom. I'm sure that he would rather choose not to have the Japanese on Korean land, but he strived to fit in. And by that, I meant he wants the same things that the colonizers wanted. Their Western ideals and such.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Drianie wrote: 20 Jan 2021, 20:41 It's an interesting topic to think about. Yes, Korea was under Japanese rule, and many were suffering. But with Mr. Seoh's job security at the bank, he probably didn't feel the effects of the occupation as much as others at the time. He might have been more motivated to join the resistance if his family was in a more disadvantaged position. He is one of the lucky ones living a reasonably comfortable life with his family, and with a new addition to the family on the way, I doubt that there is much that would have convinced him to give it all up.
Oh, crap. It's embarrasing how I didn't even think of this. I remained to only think about the fact that he had a huge family depending on him, and that's the reason why he never fully joined the resistance. But what you said is true. If we look outside the book, we'll see that some people from the middle and uppee class can be emphatizing towards this. But would they leave the comforts of their lives to fight alongside the masses? Usually, no.
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Post by Ahbed Nadir »

I would always advocate to fight for independence. It is better to die free than to live under the boot of your oppressors. A vivid example of this is the case of Mr. Koo. After working for the Japanese he eventually got tired of their yoke and became a freedom fighter himself.
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Post by Ahbed Nadir »

B Creech wrote: 01 Jan 2021, 07:21 Japan had occupied Korea for many years when the South Korean King was poisoned. Mr. Seoh worked in the Japanese Bank and had just gotten a promotion. His friend, Mr. Koo, approached him about joining an uprising to regain their independence from Japan. Mr. Seoh had a decision to make: fight for Korea's independence with his fellow Korean's, or protect his job, and probably his family. If you have read the 5th chapter, do you think he made the right decision?
I think he made a terrible decision. After a life of mediocrity and indulgence, this was finally an opportunity for him to make something for himself and stand for the freedom of his motherland, but he chose to bury his head in the sand and ignore the pressing issues of his country.
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Post by Ahbed Nadir »

MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 04 Jan 2021, 08:37 These kinds of decisions are what I call "a rock and a hard place" decisions. One is about self-preservation (taking of yourself and your family), and the other is about the bigger picture (fighting for the future of your world). As a female, in the early 1900s, I would really only have the choice of supporting my husband's decision. I imagine that I would be conflicted and that I would probably choose self-preservation until things got to be bad. In reality, though, none of us really know what we'll do until we are actually in that situation.
While this is a somewhat safe view, one must always take risks to achieve what is necessary. In a world where your very culture and way of life is being wiped out you simply have to take a stand for what is right. I feel he should have joined them.
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Post by Ahbed Nadir »

Phelicia Gloria wrote: 04 Jan 2021, 02:25 For me I think he could have fought for independence, this was going to save many people including the family, for me I could have fought for independence, and save my country. I might secure a job there in future.
He chose to remain in the relative safety of the job rather than taking a risk and working towards the growth of your country. While his family was a very large part of his decision he could have done more in the long run by fighting for his country.
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Post by Josephe-Anne »

I completely understand why Mr. Seoh made the decision to hold onto his good job at the Japanese bank instead of jeopardizing his family's financial stability to join the freedom fighters. He didn't want his family to suffer and he believed that education was the key to a brighter future.
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Post by Dimi1 »

I've recently read Orwell's Animal Farm. It's intriguing that I find on this issue a lot of similarities. The farm animals were so willing to follow their pig leader that they gradually sacrificed their freedom. Mr. Seoh's behavior seems close to that of the farm animals.
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Post by zulfiyya »

I think his behaviour was cowardly but it is what I would expect from most people. Not everyone is going to have the courage to give up their security and possibly their lives to fight for their nation. Also, it's unreasonable to expect a man to abandon his family for the sake of the greater collective. If I was in his position I would do protect myself and my family too.
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Post by Intuitive Catalyst »

Who would support his sizeable extended family if he decided to go underground? Mr Seoh made the right decision. He put his family first yet at the same time aided his friend as he could. I see nothing duplicitous in his actions. His character is "damned if you do and damned if you don't".
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Post by Caroline Anne Richmond »

Mr Seoh ultimately made the decision to protect his wife, children and home by keeping his job in the bank, working for the Japanese. I think deep down he probably had an internal struggle with not being faithful to Korea and not joining his friend, Mr Koo in the uprising against Japan.
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