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
In 1989, Solomon is back in Tokyo, having landed a good job at Travis Brothers, a British investment bank. Phoebe has followed him there, since they’re thinking of getting married. Phoebe is unhappy in Japan and often complains of anti-Korean bigotry; for example, Koreans born in Japan are forced to choose to carry either a North Korean or South Korean passport, even though there was only one Korea when their families came to Japan. Solomon doesn’t understand Phoebe’s anger and sometimes finds himself defending the Japanese.
So far, Solomon is fulfilling Mozasu’s dreams for him, having secured a job with a Western bank. He’s surprised to discover cultural differences with his Korean-American girlfriend, Phoebe. Phoebe is far more attuned to historical anti-Korean prejudices, but Solomon, who’s much more c into Japan, isn’t as bothered by them, accepting them as part of life.
Themes
