I found an interesting correlation between the portrayals of women in the forms of Korean media we have studied thus far. It's pretty neat because it seems so different from what one would expect of a Korean (or any culture's) image of women… As the article on Feminism focused on "how and why popular culture and the mass media have dealt with women and their representations in an unfair, unjust and exploitative manner" (Strinati, 160), one might think of the usual stereotypes—domesticated house wife, dependent on males, helpless, weak, their bodies depicted as objects, etc.—of women. It's amazing, however, that I did not necessarily find these stereotypes as apparent in Chun-Hyang, Goong, and Soppyonje.
I was first struck by CLAMP's comic book rendering of the story of Chun-Hyang. The yang-ban’s son says "She may be the honorable mudang of koriyo, Wall Mae… but she is still just a woman" (CLAMP, 48), an obviously sexist thing to say. Immediately I thought, 'Is this the image of women in Japanese or Korean society?' But I came to realize that there was a whole different image contradicting this. An obvious side is how Chun-Hyang is illustrated as defying all cultural or stereotypical norms of a girl—being rambunctious, outspoken, daring, and independent… but that may have just been the comic book version of the story. From what I know of the "actual" (I don't know if there even is an "actual" story, hence the quotation marks, since I know so many different version of the story exist… so correct me if I'm wrong but…) tale, Chun-Hyang is forced to endure a lot of pain and suffering for choosing the "righteous" path—that is, remaining loyal to Mong-Ryong despite his absence and despite the temptations presented to her by the other government official. Also presented (in CLAMP's version of the story) is a parallel theme within Chun-Hyang's mother; despite the death of Chun-Hyang's father, Chun-Hyang's mother chooses to remain chaste, preferring suicide over remarriage.
Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that there is this ongoing image of women and how they, throughout history, have had to endure much suffering (' han'?). More than having a typical sexist view of women as inferior, I find that a lot of the Korean media we have looked at in this course have, on the contrary, revered women for their strength and endurance of the sufferings and oppressions they have faced.
Look at another example, Goong. We have already discussed the element of self-sacrifice evident in the main heroine's decision to marry the prince, against her will, for the benefit of her family. This image of the female character is more respectable, than degrading (despite her having to live a "domestic" life in the palace or, in the drama's case, give up her dream of becoming a fashion designer).
Im Kwon-Taek's Soppyonje, I feel, epitomizes my observation. We see the dramatic climax in the final scene between Song-hwa and her brother and, as we discussed, the meaning of the word 'han'. I'd like to draw attention mostly to the parallel between her and her singing the p'ansori version of the Korean folktale of Simchong. Both Song-hwa and Simchong submit to a sacrifice of some sort in order to fulfill the duty of a filial daughter. It's interesting how in this tale, and many other Korean folk tales, women are portrayed as heroines or main characters (ex. Chun-Hyang or Chae-Kyung). Simchong They are regarded as heroines for their endurance and for their strength in the face of adversity.
I'd like to tie this in with a book I've read by Sook Nyul Choi, titled "Year of Impossible Goodbyes". Perhaps some of you have heard of it or even read it… if you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend it, it's a really easy read (I read it back in elementary school) but it's both interesting and informative. If you're into Korean history, it's definitely a must-read! ANYWAYS… to give you just a gist of it, the story follows the life of a young girl in Korea during Japanese colonization and all the adversities she and her family faced during this time. Her brothers are off at a training camp and her father is away at some resistance movement while she is at home with her mother and her aunt. Despite all the cruelties the Japanese soldiers impress upon them, these women endure and continue to struggle to survive without the presence of men to protect them. One scene in the book describes how the Japanese deceived the Korean citizens by selling them a sack of rice which was actually half filled with sand, making the sack seem heavier and more valuable. Throughout the story, the Japanese soldiers constantly harass the girl's mother and the women working in their sock factory, and in the end the women are taken away to be "comfort women"… etc… The novel is fiction, but the events are also autobiographical, which brings me to my next point.
In Korean culture, because of its history and background, there is an underlying understanding of the importance of women to society… perhaps the general population as a whole has a different outlook altogether compared to cultures that have not experienced these same events in their pasts.
3 comments:
By the way, in case anyone's interested, here's a page where you can find the book and a little synopsis/review/etc.
:)
I really like the connections you have made between the female characters that we have come across ... It has made me think, the self-sacrifice the characters all have had to make (aside from CLAMP's Chun Hyang) is to fall into the stereotypical female role, and a subordinate position to a man. Do you think this is recognized in Korea that women suffer for the expense of men? Perhaps that is too much of a stretch - but it appears that all these characters have suffered in these stereotypical roles for the benefit of someone else. I guess that is what patriarchy is?
It's kind of scary when you put it that way, because it's true. From what we've seen women ARE suffering for the benefit of others. It's scary because I was thinking before how admirable it is to self-sacrifice, but I realize now that you say it, it really IS just a trap. What if women (men, too) in Korea's society (or any society) read or hear or watch these stories and think the same way... that it is "admirable" for a woman to sacrifice her happiness... then the expected duty of a woman is, then, to be unhappy, and we'll all be trapped in this patriarchal society.... (which sucks).
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