Pachinko: Unfair Tragedy

Untimely Death

Throughout Pachinko, several characters are killed as young adults. Hoonie, Isak, Noa, Yumi, and Hana all die before age 40, and all of very different causes. Hoonie's and Yumi's deaths were bad luck, whereas Hana's could be seen as a consequence of her "lifestyle." Isak's death was predictable and almost later than expected, but he was much younger than he should have been. Noa's was unique in that it was not due to external causes but the internal shame and self-loathing that he experienced.

Although all of these characters died of various causes, all of them were too young to have died. For some deaths, some may argue that they "deserved it" (Hana for her life choices and Noa for his "dirty blood"). Others would be deemed too good to have died so young (Hoonie being such a good man, Yumi protecting her son, and Isak dedicating his life to God and goodness). However, it remains that regardless of their choices, all of these characters died too young.

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The point that Lee makes with these deaths is that tragedy is blind to a person's nature. A person could be good, bad, or neutral, but tragedy will strike them regardless. A point that was brought up in the discussion was Isak's untimely death. The Biblical figure Isaac lived an unnaturally long life due to his faith and trust in God, resulting in his being rewarded. Isak was just as good and faithful, yet he died after years of suffering and a lifetime of sickliness. On the other hand, Hansu was an overall bad person who did awful things, yet he lived into old age and outlived his own son. Lee uses these two contrasting characters, along with all the other characters who died young, to show how truly unjust life can be.