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Min
Master potter Min’s wife is an elderly woman living in the pottery village of Ch’ulp’o in 12th-century Korea. When Min takes on adolescent orphan Tree-ear as an unpaid employee, Min’s wife not only makes sure Tree-ear gets meals but secretly refills his bowl so that he has extra food to bring back to his homeless guardian, Crane-man. As winter approaches, she also gives Tree-ear a warm jacket and trousers that she originally made for her and Min’s son Hyung-gu, who died of fever when he was about Tree-ear’s age. After Tree-ear volunteers to carry some of Min’s pottery to the royal palace in Songdo, Min’s wife asks him to call her “Ajima,” a term of endearment roughly translating to “Auntie.” Crane-man dies while Tree-ear is carrying Min’s vases to Songdo, and so when Tree-ear returns, Min’s wife asks Tree-ear to come live with her and Min. She also asks him to accept a new name, Hyung-pil, which implies that Tree-ear is a kind of younger sibling to the dead Hyung-gu. Thus, Min’s wife effectively adopts Tree-ear.
Min’s Wife/Ajima Quotes in A Single Shard
The A Single Shard quotes below are all either spoken by Min’s Wife/Ajima or refer to Min’s Wife/Ajima. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3 Quotes
Tree-ear glanced up at her, and their eyes met. Hers were bright and soft, set in a small face netted with fine wrinkles. He dropped his gaze at once, not wishing to be considered impolite. Like Crane-man’s eyes, he thought, and wondered why.
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“Eat well, work well,” she said.
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Chapter 4 Quotes
I’m not really deceiving anyone, he argued to himself. And I haven’t asked for more food—it should make no difference to her which bowl . . .
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Chapter 5 Quotes
“Our son, Hyung-gu, died of fever when he was about your age,” she said. “These clothes I made for him, but they were never worn.”
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Chapter 8 Quotes
Tree-ear’s eyes filled with tears. He bent to pick up another piece of laundry. Ajima meant something like “Auntie”; it was a term of great affection, reserved only for older kinswomen. Tree-ear was kin to no one, and yet Min’s wife wished for him to call her Ajima.
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The potter’s voice was low, but shook with the effort of control. “The potter’s trade goes from father to son. I had a son once. My son, Hyung-gu. He is gone now. It is him I would have taught. You—”
Tree-ear saw the potter’s eyes, fierce with grief and rage. Min choked out the last words: “You are not my son.”
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Chapter 9 Quotes
“Because he is proud, Tree-ear,” she said. “He does not wish to be fed out of pity.”
Tree-ear kicked a small stone at his feet. Why was it that pride and foolishness were so often close companions?
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Chapter 13 Quotes
“We would like to give you a new name. Would it be agreeable to you if we were to call you Hyung-pil from now on?”
Tree-ear ducked his head quickly, recalling that the son of Min had been called Hyung-gu. A name that shared a syllable! It was an honor bestowed on siblings. No longer would Tree-ear go by the name of an orphan.
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Min’s Wife/Ajima Character Timeline in A Single Shard
The timeline below shows where the character Min’s Wife/Ajima appears in A Single Shard. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...morning of the tenth day, when Tree-ear approaches Min’s house and calls for him, Min’s wife comes out, tells him Min is eating breakfast, and asks him to wait. Then she...
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...clay, Min criticizes him for taking so long and stomps back into the house—but Min’s wife brings him a bowl of rice and kimchee to eat and tells him, “Eat well,...
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Chapter 4
When Tree-ear arrives at Min’s the next morning, he gives Min’s wife his own bowl, claiming that he doesn’t want to bother her by using hers. In...
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Tree-ear once thought of eating his entire lunch because he knew that Min’s wife would refill the entire thing, but the idea scared him and made him feel “greedy”—besides,...
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Chapter 5
...one morning, while Tree-ear is waiting outside Min’s house for his work to begin, Min’s wife comes out, tells him he can’t work if he’s shivering, and gives him a very...
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Tree-ear puts the clothing on, feeling instantly better. After a moment, Min’s wife tells him that fever killed her and Min’s son Hyung-gu when he was Tree-ear’s age—she...
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Chapter 7
The next morning, Min’s wife meets Tree-ear as he walks toward Min’s house and tells him to go get more...
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Chapter 8
When Min’s wife comes out of the house carrying laundry, Tree-ear runs to help her. While they hang...
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Chapter 9
...his work. Moreover, Tree-ear now tells himself that he’ll take the pots to Songdo for Ajima’s sake—not Min’s. One day, while he is testing clay at the drainage site, he absentmindedly...
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...almost fall when Min finishes the two inlay-work vases he wants to send to Songdo. Ajima suggests that Tree-ear carry the vases in a well-lined woven backpack called a jiggeh. When...
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...Tree-ear doesn’t need to worry about him, Tree-ear shouts that he’s worried about Min’s elderly wife doing all the chores by herself! Then he tells Crane-man that helping her would be...
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...packed into Tree-ear’s travel pack. Then Tree-ear tosses around and kicks the pack while Min, Ajima, and Crane-man observe. After Tree-ear is done, Min checks to make sure the vases haven’t...
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Chapter 10
...him a string of coins to buy food and touches his shoulder momentarily, startling Tree-ear. Ajima gives him a bag of rice cakes as well as treats in the form of...
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Chapter 12
...scroll, Emissary Kim looks at Tree-ear with a kindness that reminds Tree-ear of Crane-man and Ajima. He tells Tree-ear that he’s sending Tree-ear back to Ch’ulp’o by boat to tell Min...
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Chapter 13
...to Min’s to tell Min about the commission before visiting Crane-man. At Min’s, he finds Ajima working in the garden. She smiles brilliantly when she sees he’s home safe. When Tree-ear...
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Ajima appears and tells Tree-ear he’ll stay at Min’s house that night. Tree-ear, still feeling outside...
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Tree-ear smiles joyously. Min hurries back into the house, while Ajima brings Tree-ear out a lunch bowl and instructs him to come home in time for...
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