I was reading the book, Little Women–by Louisa May Alcott–for the second time, and I thought about why Jo rejected Laurie. But looking through the lenses of Jo, she was passionate about her writing, and her independence was far more fulfilling for her life than simple marriage. If she married Laurie, she knew that she would have had to live as Laurie’s wife, taking care of the house, and not making any good of her time for the rest of her life. I see the zeal and patience that Jo had for her own career, but it makes me think about the opposite, where women are held back from their dreams or jobs, to rather stay home and take care of children. This is what the novel written by Cho Nam Joo is all about; let’s dive deeper into the hidden feelings of Kim Jiyoung.
Taking a closer look into this book, the author highlights the patriarchal driven society in South Korea that is seen dominating Kim Jiyoung’s life. Growing up with an older sister and a younger brother, her brother is almost like a king, coming second after her dad in terms of family status. Growing up with the question of why her brother was always treated better–and perpetually having more noodles or food in his bowl–had secretly been a subconscious thought that she wouldn’t dare complain about. This book is so sensitive with the descriptions and hardships that Jiyoung went through as a girl, it almost feels like I also know her personally. As a Korean growing up in America, I never had any troubles involving gender discrimination, but for my grandparents who are immigrates, it’s different. They are stuck in the mindset of South Korea when it was heavily viewed with male superiority, so for them, living as a girl means having jobs that are “woman-like”, then getting a husband, to having children, and giving up your job to be a housewife. This traditional view was seen during the 1980s and 1990s in Korea as well, giving Jiyoung no chance to branch out and find her own independence. She and a bunch of other girl in her school are treated like they are dirt, the school only letting the boys run around and wear basically whatever they want to under their uniforms, while the girls have to wear the weak dress shirt and skirt in the freezing winter. It almost disturbed me, because as the author goes in depth with Jiyoung’s life further on, she is even seen sexually and discriminated against in her workplace because of her gender. When she is married and pregnant, all her workers know right away that she would have to quit the job and never work again, while for her, working was the small little joy she had. Losing her job, and dedicating her life to being a housewife became someone she didn’t think was possible–she was finally beginning to mirror her mother’s lifestyle. Jiyoung is seen throughout the entirety of the book to be ordinarily enduring the hardships and not giving up her mom journey, until she starts out of the blue, making impressions of women that she knew. No pretending or acting, but as if Jiyoung really changed into that person. Later the book clarifies that she has depression, insomnia and a dissociative disorder, spoken through the narrator which is a doctor. This book may be unrelated to some people because of differences in views or cultures, but this book really hit my heart, and gave me confidence as well as comfort that as a Korean American woman, I am brave and secure in who I am.