DISCUSSION QUESTIONS The Island of Sea Women |
1.
The story begins with Young-sook as
an old woman, gathering algae on the beach. What secrets or clues about
the past and the present are revealed in the scenes that take place in
2008?Why do we only understand the beginning of the novel after we have
finished it?
2.
When Young-sook and Mi-ja are
fifteen, Young-sook’s mother says to them: “You are like sisters, and I
expect you to take care of each other today and every day as those tied
by blood would do.” (Page 13) How are these words of warning? The
friendship between Young-sook and Mi-ja is just one of many examples of
powerful female relationships in the novel. Discuss the ways in which
female relationships are depicted and the important role they play on
Jeju.
3.
On page 17, Young-sook’s mother
recites a traditional haenyeo aphorism: Every woman who enters the sea carries a coffin
on her back.But she also says that the sea is like a mother.
(Page 22.) Then, on page 71, Grandmother says, “The ocean is better than
your natal mother. The sea is forever.” How do these contradictory ideas
play out in the novel? What do they say about the dangerous work of the
haenyeo?
4.
In many ways, the novel is about
blame, guilt, and forgiveness. In the first full chapter, Yu-ri has her
encounter with the octopus. What effect does this incident have on
various characters moving forward: Mother, Young-sook, Mi-ja, Do-seang,
Gu-ja, Gu-sun, and Jun-bu? Young-sook is also involved in the
tragic death of her mother. To what extent is she responsible for these
sad events? Is her sense of guilt justified?
5.
Later, on page 314, Clara recites a
proverb attributed Buddha: To understand everything is to
forgive. Considering the novel as a whole, do you think this
is true? Young-sook’s mother must forgive herself for Yu-ri’s accident,
Young-sook must forgive herself for her mother’s death, Gu-sun forgives
Gu-ja for Wan-soon’s death.On a societal level, the people of Jeju also
needed to find ways to forgive each other. While not everyone on Jeju
has found forgiveness, how and why do you think those communities,
neighbors, and families have been able to forgive? Do you think anythingcan be forgiven eventually? Should it?
Does Young-sook take too long to forgive given what she witnessed?
6.
Mi-ja carries the burden of being the
daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Is there an inevitability to her
destiny just as there’s an inevitability to Young-sook’s destiny?
Another way of considering this aspect of the story is, are we
responsible for the sins of our fathers (or mothers)? Later in the
novel, Young-sook will reflect on all the times Mi-ja showed she was the
daughter of a collaborator. She also blames Yo-chan for being Mi-ja’s
son, as well as the grandson of a Japanese collaborator. Was Young-sook
being fair, or had her eyes and heart been too clouded?
7.
The haenyeo are respected for having
a matrifocial culture—a society focused on women. They work hard, have
many responsibilities and freedoms, and earn money for their households,
but how much independence and power within their families and their
cultures do they really have? Are there other examples from the story
that illustrate the independence of women but also their subservience?
8.
What is life like for men married to
haenyeo? Compare Young-sook’s father, Mi-ja’s husband, and Young-sook’s
husband.
9.
On page 189, there is mention of
haenyo from a different village rowing by Young-sook’s collective to
share gossip. How fast did information travel around the island and from
the mainland? Was the Five-Day Market a good source of gossip or were
other places were more ideal? On page 201, Jun-bu mentions his concern
about believing information broadcast on the radio, “… but can we trust
anything we hear?” Were there specific instances when information
broadcast on the radio was misleading or false? What impacts how people
hear and interpret the news?
10.
Confucianism has traditionally played
a lesser role on Jeju than elsewhere in Korea, while Shamanism is quite
strong. What practical applications does Shamanism have for the haenyeo?
Do the traditions and rituals help the haenyeo conquer the fear and
anxieties they have about the dangerous work they do? Does it
bring comfort during illness, death, and other tragedies? Does
Young-sook ever question her beliefs, and why?
11.
On page 39, Young-sook’s mother
recites the aphorism If you plant red beans, then you will harvest red beans.
Jun-bu repeats the phrase on page 199. How do these two characters
interpret the saying? How does this saying play out for various
characters?
12.
At first it would seem that the visit
of the scientists to the island is something of a digression. What
important consequences does the visit have for Young-sook and the other
haenyeo?
13.
The aphorism “Deep roots remain tangled
underground,” is used to describe Young-sook’s and Mi-ja’s
friendship, and it becomes especially true when it’s revealed that their
children, Joon-lee and Yo-chan, are getting married. How else does this
aphorism manifest itself on Jeju, especially in the context of the
islanders’ suffering and shared trauma? Do you think it’s true that we
cannot remove ourselves from the connections of our pasts?
14.
On page 120, Young-sook’s
mother-in-law, Do-Saeng, says “There’s modern, and then there’s
tradition.” How does daily life on Jeju change between 1938 and
2008?Discuss architecture, the arrival of the scientists and the studies
they conduct, the introduction of wet suits and television, etc.
How does Young-sook reconcile her traditional haenyeoway of life with the encroaching modern world? Do
you think it’s possible to modernize without sacrificing important
traditional values?
15.
The characters have lived through
Japanese colonialism, the Sino-Japanese War, World War II, the Korea
War, the 4.3 Incident, and the Vietnam War. How do these larger historic
events impact the characters and island life?
16.
Mi-ja’s rubbings are critical to the
novel. How do they illustrate the friendship between Mi-ja and Young-sook? How
do they help Young-sook in her process of healing? |
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