Genre
Historical Fiction
Setting and Context
Set in Gwangju, South Korea in 1980.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person point of view
Tone and Mood
Serious, Distressed, Anxious, Terrified
Protagonist and Antagonist
Kang Dong-ho is the protagonist, and South Korean Military Rule is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The student Kang Dong-ho participates with his friend Jeong-dae in the protest against the martial law imposed by Chun Doo-hwan. As the armed military suppresses the protests brutally, he manages to escape and survive, but Jeong-dae dies.
Climax
After the death of his best friend, Dong-ho feels guilty and goes to the provincial office to find Jeong-dae's body. He also volunteers to help others find their loved ones' bodies.
Foreshadowing
The untimely death of Jeong-dae foreshadows the mass killing of the protesting students and his friend Dong-ho as well.
Understatement
Society understates the effect of the massacre on the victims of the Gwangju uprising. The torture and cruel treatment of the military leaves protesters scarred, and some of them develop mental illness and suicidal tendencies.
Allusions
Gwangju uprising alludes to a similar incident at Tiananmen Square, which took place in China. Several hundred students died in this incident.
Imagery
n/a
Paradox
The Korean military, who were supposed to ensure the safety of civilians, killed innocent students and civilians who were protesting against the dictatorship of Chun Do-hwan.
Parallelism
n/a
Metonymy and Synecdoche
In the novel, Gwangju's name represents brutality.
Personification
The writer personifies the fragility of glass as human bodies.
