Many of the men in Pachinko have Biblical names. These are significant as each character demonstrates some similarities to their namesake, which Lee may want to call special attention to. There are many examples of Biblical names in the narrative, but I will be focusing on Yoseb/Joseph, Isak/Issac, and Noa/Noah here.
The name Yoseb is based on Joseph. Interestingly enough, there are two prominent Josephs in Biblical tradition. The first is the Joseph of the Old Testament who can interpret dreams and becomes his father and the pharaoh's favorite, much to the jealousy of his brothers. To be honest, I did not see many similarities between his story and Yoseb's. That Joseph is idealistic and removed from his family, where Yoseb seems more pragmatic and devoted to his family above all else. Yoseb instead reminded me much more of the New Testament Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. Just as Joseph selflessly brought Mary and Jesus into his family, Yoseb does the same for Sunja and Noa.
Another Biblical-Pachinko name pair is Isak and Isaac. In the Old Testament, Issac is remembered for being the son that Abraham almost sacrificed at God's command. In Pachinko, Isak is also associated with sacrifice, although it is self-sacrifice rather than being imposed on him. Isak sacrifices to marry Sunja during her scandalous pregnancy, and sacrifices himself to protest 'idol worship' of the Emperor which results in his long-time imprisonment and eventual death.
Finally, although Noa is still a child, he already bears some similarity to Noah in the Old Testament. Noah was known for his obedience to God above all else, and we can see Pachinko's Noa also being consistently obedient to his parents, teachers, and duties. Biblical Noah is most of all known for building the ark and beginning life in a new land after the great flood. As we see Noa dream of attending a Japanese university and going back to Korea, perhaps he will also be the character to bring his family to live in a new location.
Hey Heather, thanks for explaining your thoughts on all of this. As a non-religious person, I thought it was really interesting to see these references and learn from my peers. Thanks for drawing these connections and helping me better understand this aspect of the text!
ReplyDeleteHey Heather! I would agree that Yoseb has a lot more similarities with Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. Much like in the biblical version, Yoseb is essentially the head of the household and joyfully takes care of Noa and Mozasu who aren't his own biological children.
ReplyDeleteI found your biblical interpretations of the biblical name references to be very enlightening. Thank you!
Hey Heather! I am not familiar with Biblical figures, so reading this was really helpful for me! I liked the comparison you drew between Joseph and Yoseb, where they both are able to take in this family that may not be theirs by blood. I think Isak is often seen as the selfless character in this narrative, and we forget that Yoseb took the family under his wing as well. A contrast I found interesting was in Noa's character. While yes, he is very obedient to his parents, I wrote my blog post this week about the point where he says that he secretly no longer believes in God. I wonder why Lee chose to give Noa this storyline, when in the Bible, Noah obeys God above all else?
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! I really like your comparison between Joseph and Yoseb. I'm not that familiar with Biblical figures, so it was interesting to read about the differences in both the Old and New Testaments. For example, I had no idea how Joseph was removed from his family. I appreciate your comparisons!
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! As I don't know much about religion and the story of the bible, this description was really helpful for me. It was previously harder to see the significance of why Lee would make their names so closely aligned. However, now I see that it also provides more depth to her characters and adds a sort of metaphor to the story. I'm interested to see how religion continues to play a role in Pachinko.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this in depth biblical lense and perspective. I like your comparison of Noa and Noah, and how you mentioned that both were obedient to authority (parents, teachers, duties; God). But the differences begin when Noa begins to no longer believe in God, that absolute obedience begins to dwindle. I wonder how far it will go, and if his deference to parents, teachers, and duties will also waver.
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