The heartless by Yi Kwangsu

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The heartless by Yi Kwangsu
Heartless is the English translation of the first modern Korean novel ‘Mujong’ in 1917 that painted a vivid picture of the Korean people living in the present day and the conflict that arises amongst the people as the dynamic nature of modern day cultures catches up with the Korean people. The story line in the novel revolves around three young adults at their early years of occupational life, Yi Hyong-sik, Kim Son-hyong and Pak Yong-ch’ae. Yi Hyong-sik is an English teacher in Seoul at a middle school and he is in his mid-twenties. Kim Son-hyong is a young graduate from a university that offers westernized education and she plans to continue to further her education in the United States of America. She also comes from a wealthy family with Christian background. On the other hand, Pak Yong-chae is a young lady who is raised in the traditional Confucian manner and she is very gifted as far as music is concerned. Unfortunately, due to her poverty stricken background she is subjected to harsh conditions that force her to take up the role of a kisaeng. A kisaeng is a Korean female entertainer which is a polite word for prostitute(Lee, Kwang-su 37 ). Pak however remains devoted to child hood friend Yi who is also in love with Kim. The novel depicts the state of affairs and the struggle between maintaining national identity amidst the dynamic cultural changes in the modern times.
To better study what chastity means in the novel by Yi Kwangsu, an understanding of the term chastity is vital. Chastity therefore means, the acceptable sexual conduct of a man or a woman based on the guidelines of morality in a culture or a civilization or even the moral standards based on the religious beliefs of a person. In the novel we see Yi Hyong-sik marrying Kim Son-hyong the daughter of a minister from a wealthy Christian background. This arrangement was also made possible by the father of Kim who made Yi teach English to his daughter since she was about to travel to the United States to further her studies. The father also expected that Yi would marry his daughter and that they would travel together to the United States for studies.
According to the traditional Korean cultures it was ordinary to have childhood marriages and also the culture of kisaengs was prominent. It was believed that the lady who comes from a wealthy family was to be treated with a lot of care and concern and she was considered as a lady of chastity(Lee 94). On the other hand, women from poor backgrounds just qualified to be a kisaeng. She was concerned to be a lady who has lost her virtues and dignity and was barely anything more than a possession to be used by men to fulfill their lusts and pleasures. According to Kwangsu, the author of the novel, chastity was a mark of modernity and all ladies should be allowed to keep their chastity and not to be treated as mere objects but as a people equal to any other man and woman from any background. Pak Yong-chae unfortunately falls victim to the traditional practices of Korea and becomes a kisaeng and is therefore subjected to cases of rape since this was not considered a sin when committed against a kisaeng.
As the story unfolds, the young man who becomes engaged to the minster’s daughter hears of a plan by his childhood friend Yong-chae who had ended up a kisaeng. Yong-chae, due to the pressure she is subjected to becomes depressed and travels to Pyongyang, planning to commit suicide. Yi, the young teacher pursues her and manages to stop her from taking her life. The story further unfolds to show that the young man still had an attraction to Yong-chae though he could not expresses accept her since she was a Kisaeng, but was stuck with the minister’s daughter who though not being a kisaeng, he was not in love with. Chastity is therefore signified by the adoption of the modern cultures into the traditional way of life and changing with the times (Yu, Beongcheon 124). Chastity is leaving the Korean traditions and some of the Confucian practices and adopting modern cultures of allowing a lady the right to male her own choices in life and giving her equal opportunities regardless of her background.
Do we have a right to judge people who lose their chastity is a question that would bring much debate especially in the light of the novel. According to my understanding, people who lose their chastity should not be judged especially before the conditions under which they lose their chastity are first understood. According to the novel it would be great injustice to judge Pak Yong-chae and crucify her for losing her chastity because she was subjected to circumstances that gave her little to no option to choose from. The fact that she was tremendously gifted vocally and in music cannot be overlooked and given an opportunity she was promising enough to cause a turnaround in her life. She was however not given this opportunity and her place in the society was defined by traditions. It is evident that she never chose the path willingly since if she did, she would not have thought of committing suicide at the end of the day. It is therefore not acceptable to judge anyone who has lost his or her chastity without having an understanding of the cultural environment and choices given to him or her.
Works cited
Lee, Ann S, and Kwang-su Yi. Yi Kwang-Su and Modern Korean Literature, Mujŏng. Ithaca, NY: East Asia Program, Cornell Univ, 2005. Print.
Lee, Peter H. A History of Korean Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.
Yu, Beongcheon. Han Yong-Un