Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pachinko, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival and Family
Imperialism, Resistance, and Compromise
Identity, Blood, and Contamination
Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices
Summary
Analysis
Yoseb Baek waits restlessly at the Osaka train station. He isn’t surprised by his brother Isak’s selfless act in marrying Sunja; as a boy, Isak used to give away much of his food to the household servants. Still, Sunja’s circumstances are shocking. Yoseb’s wife, Kyunghee, has warned him to reserve judgment until they meet their new sister-in-law.
The introduction of Isak’s Osaka relatives—his brother Yoseb and sister-in-law Kyunghee—allows another perspective on Isak and Sunja’s unconventional situation. According to Yoseb, Isak’s sudden marriage, rooted in selflessness, isn’t at all out of character for him.
Themes
Yoseb and Isak greet one another joyfully. Yoseb notices that his brother, whom he hasn’t seen in 10 years, is no longer a boy. He had also met Sunja as a little girl, when he was a guest at the boardinghouse, but Sunja doesn’t remember. She thanks Yoseb for his hospitality, and he thanks her and her mother, Yangjin, for saving Isak’s life. He thinks that Sunja doesn’t “look or talk like some village harlot.” People stare at Sunja’s traditional Korean clothing as the three head out of the station toward Yoseb’s house.
In Japan, Sunja will face prejudices from multiple directions. Based on what he’s heard of her circumstances, Yoseb assumes that Sunja will somehow look or act like a “harlot.” Sunja also wears clothing in the traditional Korean village style, which causes her to stand out in a metropolis like Osaka.
Themes
As they travel toward Yoseb’s house by trolley, Sunja takes in the sights of Osaka and remembers Hansu telling her about all these things. Before long, they reach the “misbegotten village” of Ikaino, the ghetto where the Koreans live. It’s filled with poorly built shacks, ragged children, and animal odors. Sunja can’t believe that Yoseb, a factory foreman, lives in such an impoverished setting.
In Sunja’s mind, the glitter of Osaka is associated with her old lover, who’d promised to travel the world with her and give her all the best things. Instead, because of her rejection of Hansu, she’s living in comparative squalor. Back in Korea, someone like Yoseb might have been fairly well off, but given racist imperial policies, he lives in a ghetto instead.
Themes
Yoseb explains to them that he and Kyunghee own their house, but nobody can know this. Most Koreans rent, and Japanese landlords won’t rent them good properties. Sunja wonders how Hansu can afford to own many properties in Osaka. Kyunghee welcomes them warmly and ushers them into the house. Their small home is unexpectedly comfortable and inviting inside; Kyunghee, despite having grown up with servants, has taught herself how to keep a beautiful home.
In an impoverished neighborhood like Ikaino, knowledge of the Baeks’ relative “wealth” in owning their home could invite envy and even crime. Under Japanese oppression, most Koreans have very limited options. In light of this, Sunja wonders how Hansu affords so much—little suspecting his criminal connections that will soon come to light.
Themes
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Over tea, Yoseb lectures Isak about not being too generous toward neighbors or assuming that fellow Koreans are their friends. He explains that their house has been broken into, and that “bad” Koreans know that the police won’t listen to Korean complaints. As Sunja helps Kyunghee prepare dinner, Kyunghee, who’s barren, expresses joy over the coming baby and assures Sunja that they’ll always be sisters.
The first night in Osaka sets the tone for much of Sunja and Isak’s life in Japan. Colonialism sows mistrust and factionalism (disputes between smaller groups within one larger one) among the Korean population. Sunja and Kyunghee quickly form a sisterly bond, which will be a solace to both amidst poverty, loneliness, and struggle.
Themes
