Please Look After Mom: Analysis of Major Characters
"Please Look After Mom" delves into the complexities of family dynamics through the lens of its central character, Park So-nyo, a devoted Korean mother whose sudden disappearance sparks a profound reflection among her family members. As a 69-year-old woman who embodies sacrifice and resilience, she struggles with personal health issues and societal constraints, including illiteracy and the burdens of an arranged marriage. Her nurturing nature extends beyond her own children, as she volunteers at an orphanage, yet her love often goes unrecognized by her family, particularly her firstborn son, Hyong-chol, who grapples with his own unfulfilled potential and sense of superiority.
The narrative also highlights So-nyo's daughters, Chi-hon and the oldest sister, who embody differing responses to their mother’s absence; Chi-hon, a successful novelist, confronts her mother's sacrifices with mixed emotions, while the oldest daughter mirrors So-nyo’s selflessness in her own parenting. The father, a restless figure, reflects on his neglect of So-nyo and comes to terms with the depth of her sacrifices only after her disappearance. Meanwhile, Yun Kyun, the father’s younger brother, serves as a contrasting figure who shows genuine affection for So-nyo, deepening the emotional stakes of her loss. Collectively, the characters' journeys underscore themes of regret, recognition of familial love, and the enduring impact of a mother's influence, inviting readers to ponder the intricate tapestry of relationships within a family.
Please Look After Mom: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Kyung-sook Shin
First published: 2011
Genre: Novel
Locale: Korea
Plot: Family drama
Time: 1950s to the Present
Park So-nyo, is Mom, a 69-year-old Korean woman and mother to four surviving children (a fifth child was stillborn). She goes missing at the Seoul subway station when her husband hurries onto a train believing she is immediately behind him. When he realizes she never boarded, he exits at the next stop and returns for her, but she is no longer in the station and is never seen again. She is a dedicated mother and wife who slaves for her family. She also raises numerous animals and a flourishing garden; everything she touches swells with life. She was forced into an arranged marriage by her parents, who feared North Korean soldiers would raid their village to kidnap single women. She suffers from debilitating headaches, and previously survived a stroke and breast cancer. She is illiterate, which is a source of deep embarrassment and regret. She needs to care for people and becomes a second mother to Yun Kyun, her young brother-in-law. When he dies in his early twenties, she privately mourns him for the rest of her life. After her children are grown and move away, So-nyo secretly donates money to and volunteers at an orphanage, where she prepares meals and washes the children as well as tends its garden. She caters to her oldest son, Hyong-chol, even after he is a married adult living in Seoul. Growing up, he always received the largest share of food and was fed first, which caused resentment in the other children. When she initially disappears, her children act inconvenienced and make a minimal effort to find her beyond distributing flyers. When weeks have passed, guilt at the recollection of their poor treatment of her throughout their lives propels the family to increase their efforts when it is too late.
Hyong-chol, is the first-born son and favorite of his mother. As a youth, Hyong-chol always was the finest student in school, consistently earning the highest grades and seems destined for a prestigious, high-paying career. Inexplicably, however, his college-entrance scores are low and he fails to gain entrance to the university and becomes a marketing director of an apartment building developer. To please his mother, Hyong-chol plans to enroll in law school but never follows through. He often angers his wife by staying out late and getting drunk. Despite his early promise of future success, Hyong-chol fails to develop his abilities to their full potential. Nonetheless, he maintains his notion of superiority over his siblings, all of who are more successful. Hyong-chol only displays his love and respect for his mother as a child when his father brings another woman to live with them; the boy refuses to eat the lunches she prepares for him to take to school. Like all the family, Hyong-chol fails to fathom the magnitude of his mother's love and sacrifice until she disappears.
Chi-hon, is Park So-nyo's second daughter and a successful novelist. Her realization of her mother's illiteracy is among the strongest memories of the woman with whom she has little patience. Chi-hon's travelling throughout the world by plane required to promote her writing career is a constant source of fear for her mother and the basis of ongoing tension between the two. Travelling also reduces the time Chi-hon potentially can expend in visiting her parents, although at one point she travels a long distance to see her mother. When Park So-nyo disappears, Chi-hon is the most active in searching for her and creates a flyer that the family distributes throughout Seoul in hopes that someone has seen the missing woman and can reveal her location. Still, however, she flies to Rome with her boyfriend and visits the Vatican while her mother still is missing.
Sister, is the oldest daughter and the sibling who is most like her mother. She marries and has three children while also running a successful pharmacy. She relocates to the United States for several years but returns to Korea to raise her children. Like her mother, she sacrifices her own happiness for that of her offspring, which gives the two a special bond. She also feels guilty at not having adequate time to visit her parents, but her mother understands the crushing requirements of parenting multiple small children, and instead of resentment is proud of her daughter for the sacrifices she makes for her family.
Father, is Park So-nyo's husband and the father of her four children. His own father was a doctor of Chinese medicine who lost two sons to an epidemic. As a result, he was not allowed to attend school for fear that he too would get ill and die. He is forced into the marriage by his family and never desires to marry or to live in the region where he was born and raised. He is very restless and leaves his wife and children three times during his life but always returns. Following one of his absences, he returns with another woman, causing Park So-nyo to evacuate their house and leave her children. The children, especially Hyong-chol, reject the woman and she leaves, resulting in Park So-nyo's return. Father's sister dislikes his wife and fails to give her the proper medicine following childbirth, leading to later medical complications. Yun Kyun, his younger brother, shows more love, respect, and kindness toward Park So-nyo than her husband. Father rushes blindly into things his whole life—his surging forward into the subway car is how Park So-nyo becomes lost. After she disappears, Father realizes that this woman who he ignored and abandoned has been the pillar that supported his life for 50 years. He is sorry for his foul treatment of her and wants her back.
Yun Kyun, is the father's younger brother. When his older brother and Park So-nyo marry, Kyun is a young boy and becomes a surrogate son to his sister-in-law. They become very close and Kyun buys her kitchen utensils, which she cherishes. He is kinder to Park So-nyo than his brother or her children and she loves him dearly. When he reaches adulthood Kyun leaves for a job but returns and almost immediately dies of an illness. Park So-nyo is accused of poisoning him by other family members. She privately is heartbroken over his death and mourns his loss until the end of her life.