Week 10: Pachinko, Identity, and Family

     Pachinko is a book so jam-packed with meaning and depth that it would be hard to say everything there is to say about the book in one blog post. The story is a deep examination of identity and belonging- something we've seen in a lot of the more contemporary texts in this class. Pachinko's wide variety of characters all struggle to feel in place in a society catered towards heterosexual Japanese men. It almost feels cynical in this way, with Solomon and Noa returning to pachinko after working so hard to get an education and move up the social ladder. I think it could be argued that this sort of acceptance, the kind gained from working hard enough to become a model minority, is not the way to find belonging. Family is key here. Society is a hard thing to find belonging in, especially when you exist outside of the accepted and typical behaviors and identities within it. But family is a constant. When society doesn't accept us, our family often does. Noa's happiest moments are with his family. Mozasu and plenty of other characters are the same. 

    This does of course mean that we have a responsibility to accept our family and help them feel supported. Hana never fully accepted her mom, creating a rift in her family and removing that pillar of support for her. Noa's inability to accept his Korean blood is what eventually led him to take his own life. Accepting family often mean accepting ourself for who we are, which is key to belonging, and part of why family is so essential.

Comments

  1. Paulos HabtewoldMarch 17, 2023 at 8:09 PM

    Hi Jalen, I also think that belonging is a major theme in Pachinko. I like how you made sure to say that our family often accepts us because they don't always do, but in the book they almost always do. I also like the connection between being accepted by family and needing to accept your family.

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  2. HeatherLMarch 19, 2023 at 2:38 PM

    Hey Jalen! I like that you focused on individual, autonomous actions like self and familial-acceptance rather than the theme of fate or lack of control. It seems like throughout the generations, many characters feel like happiness or belonging is impossible due to their blood, past, etc., but I would agree that Lee is probably trying to show that we have more control over our lives, relationships, and identity than we think.

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  3. Eloise DanielloMarch 19, 2023 at 5:00 PM

    Hi Jalen! This is a really interesting perspective and one theme that I didn't really think about. I agree that family is a constant and it can be hard to keep trying to forget and move on from it when it is where most of your personality and beliefs come from in the first place. In the end, it destroyed a lot of the characters and made their lives much harder than it had to be.

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  4. Gema Sanchez GamezMarch 20, 2023 at 9:17 PM

    Hi Jalen! I agree that the concept of the importance of belonging is really important in Pachinko. Family bonds provide the comfort and belonging that people can't achieve in the outside world, especially in diasporic communities. That sense of duty can be really anchoring despite all of the societal push back that immigrants experience. I also think it's important that you touched on the difference between finding true belonging and trying to be a "model minority". That shows that the difference between belonging and "fitting in" is not having to shape shift into a pre-made box.

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