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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Book 2, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Mozasu:
In Book 2, Chapter 5, Pachinko presents an allusion when Isak returns to Ikaino. Lying beside his wife, the dying minister learns the name of his son:
‘Mozasu,’ Isak said, smiling. ‘Mozasu. He saved his people from slavery—’ Isak’s head throbbed so intensely that he had to close his eyes again.
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Book 2, Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Daniel Deronda:
Pachinko frequently alludes to western literature as Noa immerses himself in his schoolwork. During Kuroda-san’s class, a seminar discussion about George Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda in Book 2, Chapter 15 lends itself into a deeper discussion about politics:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Kuroda-san’s lecture was primarily an extensive psychological portrait of the heroine in Daniel Deronda […] Kuroda-san spent most of the lec†ture on Gwendolen, then right before the period ended, she spoke a little about Mirah and Daniel, the Jews of the book. Kuroda-san gave some background on Zionism and the role of Jews in Victorian novels.
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Explanation and Analysis—Sorrows of Young Werther:
Captivated by his college curricula, Noa digs into books in Book 2, Chapter 15. Pachinko alludes to various western novels as he pores through the literature:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Like a man starved, Noa filled his mind, ravenous for good books. He read through Dickens, Thackeray, Hardy, Austen, and Trollope, then moved on to the Continent to read through much of Balzac, Zola, and Flaubert, then fell in love with Tolstoy. His favorite was Goethe; he must have read The Sorrows of Young Werther at least half a dozen times.
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Book 3, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Solomon:
Pachinko gives the backstory to another of its allusions in Book 3, Chapter 9 when Solomon, Mozasu, and Etsuko visit the Yokohama ward office on his birthday. While preparing for his fingerprints, the birthday boy explains to the officer the origins of his name:
Unlock with LitCharts A+‘Your name—’ The clerk squinted his eyes at the form Solomon was filling out. ‘So-ro-mo-n. What kind of name is that?’
‘It’s from the Bible. He was a king. The son of King David. A man of great wisdom. My great-uncle named me.’
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Book 3, Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis—David Copperfield:
Pachinko closes with a surprise and an allusion in Book 3, Chapter 21, when Sunja visits the Osaka cemetery. While paying her respects at Isak’s grave, she happens to meet a cemetery groundskeeper who remembers Noa’s frequent visits and reminisces fondly about his influence:
Unlock with LitCharts A+‘I’d been hoping to tell [Noa] that after I finished all the books he’d brought me, I bought more of my own. I have read through all of Mr. Dickens’s books in translations, but my favorite is the first one he gave me, David Copperfield. I admire David.’
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