The Innocent: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Innocent: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex moral landscape surrounding a coup d'état in Korea through the perspectives of several key characters. Major Lee, the narrator, grapples with ethical dilemmas as he and his fellow officers confront the reality of their mission to overthrow a corrupt regime while risking becoming as malevolent as those they oppose. Colonel Min, the ambitious leader of the conspirators, represents a pragmatic approach to achieving political ends, willing to resort to violence, which ultimately leads to his downfall. General Ham, the corrupt antagonist, epitomizes the self-serving nature of the regime the coup seeks to dismantle, while Brigadier General Ahn, a decorated officer turned communist agent, embodies treachery and moral ambiguity.
Supporting characters like Lieutenant Cho and Chaplain Koh contribute depth to the narrative, providing insights into personal backstories and moral complexities. Cho’s information about Min’s past highlights the intertwined fates of the characters, while Koh serves as a moral guide, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining ideals in a flawed world. Colonel McKay, an American intelligence officer, navigates his loyalty to the U.S. interests and the moral implications of the coup. Collectively, these characters illustrate the struggle between good and evil, raising profound questions about justice, sacrifice, and the nature of honor in political conflict.
The Innocent: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Richard E. Kim
First published: 1968
Genre: Novel
Locale: South Korea
Plot: War
Time: Mid-1950's
Major Lee, the narrator, one of a group of Korean army officers involved in a coup d'état. Lee struggles with a moral dilemma: In their effort to rescue the country from a corrupt regime and replace it with moral leaders, the coup members risk becoming as evil as those they seek to overthrow. Lee opposes any plan to shed blood, but other members, especially Colonel Min, see bloodshed as necessary—and therefore justifiable—if their coup is to succeed. When General Ham is killed by the conspirators, Lee realizes that his ideal of an honorable coup is doomed. Finally, he acknowledges the need for people like Min, having learned that tragedy and absurdity result from the collision of good and evil. He embarks for America, saddened by the turmoil his country is suffering and nostalgic for his lost innocence.
Colonel Min, the leader of the conspirators and friend of Lee. Although he respects Lee's intelligence and idealism, Min regards Lee as a sentimental intellectual out of touch with the real world and ineffectual against evil men. Lee's idealism helps Min maintain a clear view of goodness and justice, ideals for which the conspirators are fighting, and to save himself from falling victim to the illusion of omnipotence, as have the evil generals and politicians. Once the coup has succeeded, however, Min no longer needs Lee as moral ballast, and in the very act of sending his idealistic friend off to America, Min is killed by opposition soldiers. The man who sought to achieve a peaceful end by violent means himself falls victim to violence, though he has sacrificed his life for a just cause.
General Ham, the chief opponent of the coup. He attempts to save himself and his fortunes by negotiating with Min. Wily, self-serving, cruel, and unscrupulous, he epitomizes the corruption among the country's leaders. Ham's pride makes him contemptuous of the coup members. In a final act of misjudgment, he challenges Min to stop him from returning to his command headquarters. Min orders his troops to fire on the general's plane, killing the general and all of his men. The act marks Min as a murderer in the eyes of Lee.
Brigadier General Ahn, the chief of the Special Projects section of the South Korean army, a decorated hero and brutally efficient officer. He is found to be a Communist agent whose past is mired in murder, deceit, and cruelty; he is a prime target of the coup members, who want to execute him outright. Lee, however, wants to give Ahn a fair trial to show the world the humanity and high principles of the coup members. Ironically, it is Lee who shoots Ahn as the general attempts to escape after killing Major General Mah. Ahn, who is only wounded, is taken prisoner by the Command Group.
Major General Mah, who controls the Secret Police, Presidential Brigade, and Metropolitan Police. Considered a criminal by members of the coup, he is marked for punishment. Although Lee would have him tried and court-martialed, other members of the coup want him simply killed. The question becomes moot when Ahn, desperate to keep Mah from exposing him, kills Mah.
Lieutenant Cho, an aide to Colonel Min and the son of Min's close friend. He provides Lee with information regarding Min's background, his serving in the Japanese army, his farming in remote Pyungyang, and his killing of the Communist guerrillas who murdered Cho's family. He is among the victorious members of the coup at the end.
Chaplain Koh, who has recruited several generals in support of the coup. He is the spiritual adviser to Major Lee and his moral confidant, counseling the major in the end to temper his idealism with an understanding that humans are imperfect, that events go awry, and that in the best circumstances, good people suffer and die. Koh voices the dilemma created by humanity's struggle to achieve goodness in an imperfect world. In the end, he confesses to Lee that heaven's ways are inscrutable and that men like Min are necessary in the struggle between good and evil.
Colonel McKay, an American intelligence officer in contact with the members of the coup, whom he supports. He maintains the interests of the United States government and monitors events in Korea before and after the coup. McKay admires Lee's brilliant tactical skills in organizing the coup and is sympathetic to Lee's moral dilemma, but he believes that Min's ruthless tactics are necessary in times like these. McKay accompanies Lee out of Korea, serving as Lee's protector and executor of Min's last wish, to send Lee to America.