from righteous indignation to personal grudge
Mansok is born with a naturally hot temper, which first manifests during the crab catching incident, where he chooses to fight the Ch’oe kids instead of gritting his teeth and accepting their abuse (237–239). His family loses their “household effects” and has to live in a “dugout” for four years as a consequence of his disobedience. In the face of this situation, his father is aware of their vulnerable situation and reprimands him for having blood “too hot for a commoner” (240). His father believes that submission to keep the peace is better than fighting back. Mansok’s anger is initially a manifestation of righteous indignation — as a child, he is helpless to intervene as the Ch’oe family beats his father, especially when his father is not the type to retaliate.
His anger, however, transforms into long-lasting resentment toward the world. His despair at being treated poorly due to “the unfairness he had to face because he was a commoner” leads to his desire for vengeance and rebellion, which culminates in his cruel eradication of the Ch’oes (239, 243). What was once a product of circumstance transforms into his personality, with his vengeful nature carrying over into his domestic life, even in times of power and peace. He kills his first wife, Chomnye, after she betrays him, and resolves his second wife, Sunim, if he can find her (227, 223).
I believe that witnessing the consequences of his father’s submissive nature made Mansok unable to withstand any feelings of inferiority. He resorts to violence when his self-image is encroached upon. He desires freedom, but is ultimately shackled by his worldview and desire for revenge.
alternative paths
In response to the discussion question, “How different would Mansok’s life be if he hadn’t killed his captain in a fit of (well known to him) rage and had spared his pregnant first wife, at least until she had given birth?” And two other classmates responses:
I think that if Mansok hadn’t have killed his captain and pregnant first wife he probably would have at least left his command still and not come back after finding them cheating. I believe that even without those original killings of the commander and his wife, he still would have fallen down his path of violence because of how angry he was. However, I also think that if he had not killed the commander and just went on to kill the Cheong family, then he still could have gone back to his town and maybe not have led such a wandering life. He may have fought in the army again and not have married his second wife or had his second son. Without his second son however, I don't think there would really be any redemption or hope in his life. So overall, I don’t think his life really would have changed that much whether he had killed them or not, because he was still a violent and angry person who would still kill other people.
If Mansok hadn’t killed his captain or his pregnant wife, I don’t think he’d be at peace - but he might’ve avoided exile. After the war, he could’ve stayed in the North, where the ideology offered class equality. That probably appealed to him - no more Ch’oe clan towering over him, no yangban class like in the South.
But the North was, and still is, a tightly controlled military society. Strangely enough, that kind of structure might’ve felt fair to someone like Mansok. As Boudreau points out, states often use violence and hierarchy to build legitimacy. And in the North, that hierarchy was explicit. No need to decode class signals - it was all laid out. Mansok’s desire to rise within the People’s Committee shows he believed in that system. He wanted power. Still, if he hit a ceiling (and odds are, he would’ve), he might’ve turned on that system just like he did with the Ch’oe family.
And the way he exerted control at home likely wouldn’t have changed. Not killing his wife might’ve postponed the violence, but not erased it. For Mansok, power over women was a way to reclaim some sense of worth when everything else left him feeling small. So, even if history had gone differently, that deeper urge to dominate as a way of surviving would likely still be there.
I agree with Madison that Mansok would not be so easily redeemable if he had not experienced his downward spiral after his exile. Hyunjung brought up an interesting point about power systems; though the North Korean military hierarchy doesn’t involve “class signals”, I believe people can still play the roles of oppressor and oppressed through the guise of legitimate, institutionalized violence. With nothing to stop him from rising in power, I believe Mansok would easily become one of the oppressors he so loathed in his youth. Without a change in perspective and experiencing the kindness of others, like Old Hwang, Mansok may have remained a static character drunk on his violently earned power.