Lady Sougyon - Character and Narrator

[lavkathleen]

It was interesting to see things through the perspective of this upper-class woman, whose husband seemed to have left her without a divorce. While reading I wondered why only this Lady was given a voice to speak in the first person. Was it also because her son had an important role?

Possibly. I thought of this, too, and that was the only answer I could think of. Oh, and also the fact that we needed to see the perspective of someone from the upperclass. However, I saw someone here say that it was ironic how women were silenced during that time and the author gave the one and only first-person perspective to a woman. It was like a small slice of justice.

[lavkathleen]

I thought Lady Sougyon could probably have done more to improve her fate and that of others around her. I'm sure there were Korean women who accomplished much more. Certainly, she places her hopes for the future in her son, Embon, and his generation. While she thinks of herself as honest and reliable, she is clearly a product of her privilege. I think that comes across well in her narration.

I don't think someone's social class can affect their narration... unless they use it to twist the story. But it didn't happen in this book. Like you said, Lady Sougyon was honest and reliable. She was a product of privilege but she showed things as they were. She didn't twist the story to put herself in a good life. She told it from her perspective, both the good and bad sides.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I wish she would just divorce her husband. I think she was strongly considering it, but her brother dismissed that thought because it would be shameful for their family during that time. But I do think she is a caring and a strong woman especially to her son and also to her staff.

She had no ground to stand against her brother or father's wishes since that was how the society worked those days. And her character qualities were the normal ones for the ladies in the Korean upper class, those days. But as a mother she was loving and caring, and overprotective as well, and that was because she did not want to give the hard childhood that she had to her child as well

[Brenda Creech]

I feel like she is a strong woman, however, she was suppressed by the men in her life, and by the time and society in which she lived. I found it interesting for her to have a voice to express her inner and outer turmoil. Being of royal descent during those times made it impossible for her to change her fate, in my opinion.

True. Also, divorce wasn't widely accepted during that time, too. I feel like my lungs is being stepped on just thinking about the layers of restrictions they put on women. The amount of strength and courage it would've taken them to get a divorce might be unimaginable for most of us.

You are so right! And especially when a woman was royalty. They had absolutely no say even in who they would marry in the first place!

[Brownbrit]

I did not even realize that Lady Sougyon's was the narrator until I read it in this blog. Of course when I read it, I instantly recognized my oversight, but she is forgettable. In fact, she complete disappears except for mention in passing in 3/4th of the book - her point of view simply disappears. I think a the distancing is due to the passive tense of the language. She needs to use active language. Her character development was very weak. Yes, she recounts her unhappy marriage kind of, but not really. There is no emotion - just words on paper that are entertaining but not meaningful. To answer your question, she is honest.

[zulfiyya]

As a character, I don't think she could have done anything to change her fate. It's easy to say she could have broken out of the traditional norms that were keeping her in a state of misery by divorcing her scoundrel of a husband and remarrying, but that's not a feasible option. When all you've known is tradition and you are also in a position where you are responsible for representing that tradition to a whole country, there isn't much you can do. It takes someone with a real revolutionary mindset to break out of such difficult social constructs.

As a narrator, I did not think she was reliable, but she was honest. Her unreliability, however, was not a fault. It excited me because I always felt there was a part of the story I was missing, and then when it would switch to the third person of the characters, that missing puzzle piece was revealed.

[Praise George-kayode]

I feel Lady Sougyon was an independent woman who didnt need an husband. I guess if it was left to her and the family didnt forbid it, should have gone for divorce. She is a character I enjoyed in the book and I feel she was honest and reliable

[kalgaonkarsnehal]

There are many memorable female characters in the novel. In traditional Korean society, women's voices were usually silenced. However, the author gives a voice to Lady Sougyon, who recounts the story of her unhappy marriage in the first person. Despite being a member of the upper echelon of society and enjoying many privileges, she is still miserable and lonely. Her life always depends on men (powerful father, unfaithful husband, spoiled son). What's your opinion of her as both a character and a narrator? As a character, could she have done anything to change her fate? As a narrator, is she honest and reliable?

Lady Sougon's character is the only one I could feel is given appropriate depth and layers in the book. I was able to relate to her, her insecurities, her hope from her son, her fears and her strength of character. I felt comfortable in her narration. She felt real. As a character, I agree with the path the author has chosen for her, and I don't think she could have done more in the context.

[Atieno Magero]

Even though her life depended on the men in her life as you put it, I found lady Sougyon a very strong character. Her intentions were always good and she did her best to overcome hard situations (like her marriage and her son's illness). I therefore found her an honest and reliable narrator. Given the way of life back then, I don't think there's much she could have done to change her fate.

[jaym_tan]

Personally, I find Lady Sougyon to be a strong character but the male dominated society of that time never gave her the credit that she deserved. She still showed her strength despite all that though.

[Vanessa Leong]

Realistically, I don't think that she could have done anything much differently. Even though she was educated and her father was surprisingly ahead of his time, they still lived in an era where women didn't have much of a say in series matters, unfortunately. In fact, she did try to divorce her husband but her brother didn't allow it, as it would mean disgracing their family.

As a narrator, she honestly didn't leave much of an impression on me. All I remember is that she was a charismatic individual, a compassionate master, and a devoted mother.

[Obi Egbuniwe]

Lady Sougyon was interesting as a character. I didn't particularly find her likeable. I just thought her story, loveless marriage and overindulged offspring were very interesting.