What about the interrogation seemed like a hoax to you? I've never been in one but I thought it seemed a little real... just because it fits with how the Japanese were portrayed and with what I know about imperialists like them. They were aiming for Koreans who were suspected of rebelling against them. And if they think you're not from the upper class, the better. They will literally jail you for practicing your basic human right and that's what happened to Embon.cristinaro wrote: ↑02 Jan 2021, 05:59 Maybe more of an anti-hero. He always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but somehow manages to emerge more or less unscathed from all sorts of otherwise perilous situations. Even his arrest and interrogation seem like a hoax. Life is like this, though. In the end, I guess his experiences may have a dose of realism, after all.
Embon's Transformation
- lavkathleen
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Re: Embon's Transformation
pronouns: she/they
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What did you mean by "responsibility", though? Because if you mean his wife, mother, and father-in-law... then I'm glad he did. It wasn't just doing "what he wanted to do." It was seeing that those "responsibilities" were pointless and that there are better things to offer his life to. Like sacrificing his life for the freedom of his country. It was less of a "want" but more of a "need", not just for himself but for everybody else.cd20 wrote: ↑04 Jan 2021, 15:18 I felt that his transformation was "about time." He needed to grow up, but in some ways he didn't. He ran from one responsibility to another, without accepting responsibility for all things. So, in some ways he stayed the spoiled brat and only did what he wanted to do.
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I think it has a lot to do with how passive the author wrote the scenes... We weren't able to soak in those changes because of that and also because of how fast and constant they came. The story also had a smooth flow that it seemed too fairytale-like. But the part where he wasn't able to join Hain and the general made sense because he really was sick so it was bound to happen. And that part where he got released just in time. I agree that it seemed too ideal... but also it says a lot about his destiny. I think the author just has to write it better.Mvictoria wrote: ↑06 Jan 2021, 11:12 I found Embon to be a fairly honest character. I think he definitely had some growing up to do, but I felt like it all happened rather quickly. One day, he is a "mama's boy" and the next, he's a political revolutionary. I think some of the aspects of the book seemed a little incredulous. One example of this is that Embon didn't end up going with Hain and the general because he was feeling ill and that trip, as we know, was very ill-fated. He also is released from prison right on the brink of his death. All this is to say that I felt like his character was written very conveniently.
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Yes, I suppose this point of view is correct. He had realized his privilege and sought to use it for something meaningful such as helping his people and joining the movement.lavkathleen wrote: ↑24 Jan 2021, 22:39I guess almost dying from tuberculosis changes you. Which happened because he got imprisoned for being a Korean suspected to be rebelling against the Japanese. Aside from being close friends with activists and seeing and feeling their passion, he also wanted to do something about his life. He saw the flaw in being a privileged man and wanted to change it. He didn't see anything else that fit but joining the independence movement.Ahbed Nadir wrote: ↑13 Jan 2021, 01:25 I feel his "growing up" while overdue came a bit too easily. Despite all the experiences he had had he came out more or less unscathed and as a result there wasn't much character development until all of a sudden he evolved into a man. That's just my point of view.
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Embon was quite the spoilt brat to be honest. However I feel that he had never had any real consequences to his actions as his mother always sheltered him and so when he began to see the damages he was causing, it led to a sort of switch up in his psyche.Lunastella wrote: ↑12 Jan 2021, 10:46 I do. What I think is a bit underdeveloped are his motives. It is clear that the struggle must not have been easy when he was born into utmost luxury. But we never know, for example, how he passed from a brat that kicked elderly servants to a perfectly decent young man.
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Mr. Koo's influence in his life is not something to be discounted as it led to him joining the freedom fighters. Embon's character development while not entirely natural is certainly believable. The death of his friends was another event that became a turning point in his life as he realized the grim reality his country was facing and became impassioned for his country.enna_idEsrun wrote: ↑14 Jan 2021, 20:28 I think Embon's transformation was realistically portrayed. Given his upbringing and his single parentage, the lack of the influence of a strong male role model was evident. And I think the author was careful to demonstrate hints of imbalance in his character throughout his transformation. And though he jumped at the opportunity to do something he and others believed to be purposeful we see him lost and aimless soon after he had recovered from his illness. So given Embon's upbringing his transformation was indeed far from smooth and I think this was realistically portrayed by the author.