Oppression Through Language
Throughout the novel there are examples of language being used as a tool to change the mindset of the oppressed. For example, Sookan is given the Japanese name “Shizue,” which she must use in public during the Japanese oppression: “Here I would have to answer to this strange Japanese name; I was someone I did not want to be and I had to pretend.” The identity of her family is further weakened by the Japanese assigning them the name “Aoki.” When Sookan walks through the city with Aunt Tiger, her aunt warns her: “We have to speak Japanese now. People might hear us.“ This shows that the Korean language is not tolerated, and that the Japanese act as language steamrollers trying to take over the people’s minds by modifying their language. When the Russians take over, only a few Koreans seem to realize that the situation has not changed. Sookan’s mother says “People don’t realize they’re being brainwashed” when communist keywords such as ‘comrade’ and ‘Mother Russia’ are endlessly repeated.
Perseverance
There are many examples of people enduring extreme hardship because of their hope for a better future, and their pride in their own culture and heritage. For instance, Sookan’s family survives times of extreme hunger during the Japanese oppression, and her grandfather secretly kept Korean books even though the people were forced to learn and speak Japanese. He also taught her Korean history and writing Korean texts to reinforce her cultural identity. The greatest example of perseverance, however, is Sookan escaping to the South together with her brother. Even when she loses her mother at a Russian checkpoint, she does not give up their plan and guides her little brother--who displays even more endurance given that he is younger than Sookan--to safety: “After a few minutes it was dark again, and there was only the sound of the pouring rain. I was thankful we had survived, and we kept walking. My feet were all bloody, and it was hard to keep silent. I moaned like a dying animal. [...] Inchun and I were drenched, and shivered in the darkness. I was too scared and in too much pain to think or to say anything. Inchun pulled his little hand out of mine to wipe away his silent tears. I told him not to cry, and just to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. We started slipping in the mud as we tried to make our way up the hill. I clenched my teeth as I tried to get a foothold.“Eventually, their perseverance pays off, as they are reunited with their family.
Family Love
The war-ridden environment brings Sookan’s family close together. Her grandfather teaches her Korean history and mentors her spiritually by meditating with her. Sookan’s mother and Aunt Tiger not only provide for their family but for the sock girls as well. In fact, when Sookan’s grandfather dies, her mother is so devastated that she is on the brink of death as well. When Sookan has to attend the Japanese school, her mother gives her a precious lunch box with some delicacies, while her little brother reminds her not to speak one word of Korean so she does not get in trouble. Likewise, she protects her brother in various situations: “I stood in front of Inchun, wedging him into the corner of the room. I was his nuna. I had to protect him.“ Aunt Tiger and Kisa’s love for their family members is so deep that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure that Sookan, her brother, and her mother can escape to the South.
