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Dramatic Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Noa's Father:
Pachinko builds dramatic irony when Yoseb arrives at Tamaguchi’s farm. In Book 2, Chapter 8, Noa’s burned uncle comes upon an uncomfortable discovery as Hansu tends to him:
Despite his well-tailored suit and highly polished leather brogues, Hansu appeared at ease in the barn, indifferent to the harsh smells of the animals and the cold drafts.
Yoseb said, ‘You’re the father of the boy, aren’t you?’…‘That’s why you do all this,’ [...]
Yoseb’s discovery escalates one of the novel’s central tensions. Having previously decided that Sunja was “harmed through no fault of her own,” Yoseb now joins the reader in recognizing the identity of Noa’s father. As Hansu’s presence continues shadowing the Baek family, the story hurtles toward this uneasy truth. “You have no business being around [Noa],” Yoseb warns Hansu in an effort to defend his brother’s memory. He, Sunja, and the reader have come to realize Noa’s paternity. Noa himself does not.
Yoseb joins a growing cast of characters who uncover Noa’s paternity, a truth whose dawning clarity emphasizes both Noa’s obliviousness and his tortured denial. For the reader, Noa’s eventual discovery seems all but inevitable. Akiko’s tactless admission merely becomes a matter of time. Here on Tamaguchi’s barn floor, Yoseb picks up on cues that will culminate in Noa’s suicide.
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