“Harmony will prevail. After darkness, there will be light. The light cannot come without the darkness. Better days are bound to come now.”
Sookan’s grandfather follows the teachings of Buddha, and due to his frequent meditations he has achieved great wisdom. This quote is also a sign of his optimism, as in his opinion the Japanese rule will not last forever.
“I was sick of this school. I was mad that I was born a Korean. I was angry at everyone … my mother, Grandfather, Aunt Tiger, my sister hiding in the convent, my father away in Manchuria, and my brothers who were off at labor camps. I was mad at the whole world. I didn’t even like Mother’s God.”
After being forced to work outside in the heat, Sookan expresses her anger and frustration with the Japanese oppressors. Her mother, a Christian, prays to God regularly, but Sookan is obviously getting impatient and increasingly bitter, as she expects God to improve their situation after all these prayers. She has a long way to go to reach the levels of her grandfather’s wisdom, who is able to see the bigger picture rather than the individual.
“The war is over! Japan has lost!”
After Sookan learns that the Japanese have lost the war, she--like the rest of her town and indeed her country--is euphoric. This quote marks the resolution of the first conflict, which is the cruel oppression of the Koreans by the Japanese.
“There was no need to think.”
After the defeat of the Japanese, the Russians are quick to fill the power vacuum by spreading their communist ideology. The quote illustrates Sookan’s observation that the Koreans are being brainwashed: Announcements praising communism and Mother Russia are endlessly repeated over the loudspeakers, and the daily routines are “programmed” for the Koreans, effectively limiting their individualism and freedom.
“We never heard any further news about the sock girls, or about my friend Unhi. I still wonder if they are alive in the North.”
The book ends with this quote, which illustrates the current state of the two Koreas where there is little to no exchange of information, as the North continues to stay isolated. It serves as a reminder that many people in the South have to live with the feeling of not knowing the fate of family members and close friends.
