I Lam
New Member
Posts: 29 
|
Post by I Lam on Nov 25, 2015 3:15:29 GMT
The main character seems to live in her own world in the beginning of her narration, and it reminded me a lot of the denial and dissociation that might come with fighting mild depression. I think that all in all she's a very optimistic person, or at least, she's always hoping that things will naturally work out for the best; that's why she's always so passive about turning the tide, until either someone turns it for her (leaving his wife and proposing to her), or she can really no longer bear the situation (when she asked to live with her sister). She must also have a good amount of social intelligence, considering the support of her friends and family, as well as the fact that she was able to handle this situation of being the conniving mistress and see it through. She has a very calm and logical side to her that makes up the main part of her conscious, though inwardly she's very easily swayed by her emotions.
Discussion: Why did it have to be kimchee? Is it because it's pungent and different? Because the author likes korean food? Or do you think there's something else to that choice?
|
|
|
|
Post by Caden Hong on Nov 29, 2015 2:56:44 GMT
I agree with your comment on the narrator having a “good amount of social intelligence” — it’s probably because of that that she had a lot of support from her sister and friends. Or maybe she lied to them about her involvement in extramarital affair. I’m not sure, but either way she definitely knows how to keep herself protected by her loved ones. As for your questions, I was wondering that myself. It’s hard to figure out the significance of kimchee in the story and the title. I thought the husband bringing kimchee home was in a way symbolic to him getting involved in another affair. Kimchee is more often than not made by women in Korea, and the fact that he got it from someone (supposedly Mr. Endo’s wife, which we’re not even sure if that’s true) instead of buying it himself makes it suspicious. Maybe because the smell of kimchee is so strong, it’s hinting at the husband’s history of cheating on his wife for another woman? Maybe his past is being paralleled to the strong smell of kimchee because it’s hard, almost impossible, to get rid of it. These are some wild speculations but I’m not sure how else to interpret the significance of kimchee in this story.
|
|
|
|
Post by qian lin on Nov 30, 2015 0:59:44 GMT
I think the kimchee has a special smell which she and her husband can remember. Kimchee represents the something which she and her husband can share. Both of them dream of kimchee in their dreams. Kimchee shows that both of them have something similar and which might deepen their relationship. I think she is very sensitive the smell and the smell seems to circulate her life. The smell of kimchee is special because she and her husband can smell and dream together. I think she capture something similar in her husband and she in order to constitute a strong relationship with her husband.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cindy Xia on Dec 2, 2015 12:21:20 GMT
I too was very confused as to why kimchee was used especially after the dreams they both had. After reading Caden's comment, I feel that there may be a chance of the husband cheating on her with a Korean woman. As Caden mentioned, Korean women are usually the ones making kimchee especially back in the day. Not only that, it was rather weird as to why he was given kimchee from his coworker's wife. However, I am still very iffy about kimchee symbolizing anything in this story.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan Wong on Dec 2, 2015 18:12:44 GMT
I think kimchee was chosen because it's a food that had a unique (and strong) odor that is really pervasive. Besides that, it probably could have been any food with the same qualities. I actually don't think that the kimchee is from some woman the husband is now cheating on the new wife with, but for the wife, the guilt over stealing somebody's husband and ruining a marriage (something which she had been trying so hard to put in the back of her mind) finally manifests in this kind of latent way. This is just a theory I had, but maybe the kimchee smell isn't literal and it's meant to represent the idea of cheating in a marriage. I say it's the idea because the husband may or may not be cheating, but that doesn't really matter to the wife. Pervasive suspicions can destroy a marriage just as well an an affair.
|
|
