Voluntary Spirit Girls
When the workers of the sock factory are arrested by Captain Narita and his men to become “spirit girls,” a euphemism for sex slaves, the captain cheerfully says, “You should all be very proud and honored that it is now your turn to serve Our Heavenly Emperor. You will give the soldiers the special spirit to fight harder against the White Devils. Our Heavenly Emperor will be happy that you volunteered to help the soldiers. Now get into the truck and get out of this rain.” This statement is highly ironic because the girls are forced to submit to the soldiers; they do not make this choice voluntarily at all.
The Iron Gate
The gate leading to the house of Soonkan’s family is supposed to prevent people from trespassing. Ironically, it has lost its purpose during the Japanese oppression, as the Japanese policemen come and go as they please without any respect for anyone’s property: “The front gate was wide open and swinging in the wind. No one bothered to close it. What was the sense? Those gates provided no privacy or security.”
Sharing Food
On the first day of attending the Japanese school, Soonkan notices another girl who seems very hungry. She tries to share her lunch with her, but a “big girl saw [her] sharing [her] lunch, and immediately took it away. She walked out with it, and that was the last time [she] saw the beautiful lunch box that Grandfather had made.” Thus, instead of enjoying their lunch together, they both end up having no food. They learn that sharing food or supporting each other is no longer a noble deed; ironically, they are punished for doing so.
Producing Weapons
At the Japanese school, the students are forced to produce weapons such as spears to be used against an American attack. The supervisors think that all students are working hard, but Soonkan and her friend Unhi “rubbed the little pieces of glass and rock against the bricks and made them smooth and round. Then [they] hid them under the sharp pieces that the other girls had made. In [their] small way, [they] felt we were doing something good. [They] were proud of ourselves as [they] worked in silence under the watchful eyes of Narita Sensei.”
The Bag of Rice
When Soonkan’s family is able to purchase a small bag of rice after a long time of starvation, they are all looking forward to a lavish meal. However, when they ran into the kitchen, they “saw that the bowl into which Mother had poured the bag of rice was half filled with sand.”
Dreams of a Happy Future
At the end of the war, the Koreans are celebrating the defeat of the Japanese. They look forward to meeting their family members who were taken away during the Japanese oppression, but ironically “[t]he dreams of a happy future together in a free land were shattered. The whole town was transformed into a hospital” because the few people who come back are weakened by diseases and injuries.
