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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Sunja vs. Etsuko:
Sunja and Etsuko are one generation apart. But as a foil pair, Mozasu’s mother and second wife bring out more from each other than first meets the eye. They have shameful affairs that brand them as outcasts. They suffer disgrace and struggle as mothers but also chart different trajectories in their marriages. In doing so, Sunja and Etsuko live out competing versions of femininity.
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Goro vs. Hansu:
The novel’s foil between Goro and Hansu’s dealings sheds a spotlight on power and its abuse. As enormously successful Koreans, Goro and Hansu exercise their authority in different forms. Both men are branded as yakuzas. They manage successful businesses, deal generously with the Baek family, and have risen through the ranks of Japanese society.
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Solomon vs. Phoebe:
Solomon and Phoebe are foils for one another. The ex-lovers—who separate because of their different perceptions of Japan—come from corners of the Korean diaspora and cannot reconcile their differing cultural perceptions. “I can’t live here,” Phoebe explains to Solomon while packing her bags back to America, while Solomon struggles to sympathize with her “extreme feelings.”
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Sunja vs. Kyunghee:
In Pachinko, Sunja and Kyunghee are sisters-in-law, kimchi business partners, and foils who diverge in their engagement with feminine expectations. By defining Sunja’s experiences in contrast with Kyunghee’s, the novel sheds light on gender conventions and womanhood.
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Mozasu vs. Noa:
Near the middle of the novel, the reader finds Mozasu and Noa both in the pachinko business. But this unexpected alignment of fates hardly conceals the contrasts in outlook and approach that the two characters take. The novel’s pair of brothers respond to their Korean identities in dramatically different ways, creating a foil that explores cultural identity and assimilation.
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Hansu vs. Isak:
Hansu and Isak—the two men who headline the novel—never meet in-person but come into uneasy conflict all the same. Sunja’s two lovers split her affections and bear one child each. They also pursue competing visions of purpose, love, and morality. Pachinko sets them against each other to develop a stark contrast between idealism and realism.
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Book 2, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Hansu vs. Changho:
Koh Hansu is as mysterious as he is menacing. Pachinko constructs multiple foils for Sunja’s first lover, specifically underscoring his complexity by juxtaposing him with Kim Changho. In a heated and telling exchange, the boss and his subordinate clash:
Unlock with LitCharts A+‘Boss, I’ve been thinking more about going back home. Not to Daegu, but to the North.’
‘This again? No. End of discussion. I don’t care if you go to those socialist meetings, but don’t start believing that horseshit about returning to the motherland.’
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