Introduction
Cho Se-Hui is a South Korean writer whose works are distinguished by clarity and scattered emotions. One of his stories, “We Didn’t Know,” is about a group of women workers at a textile factory and reflects the working conditions and gradation of society in the country. The story’s plot is focused on factory workers’ awareness of their opposition to the system. Describing women’s struggle in the factory, the author emphasizes the complex reality of that time and that society, which acts in favor of collective coexistence, survives in the conditions of a harsh political regime.
Central Idea
The central idea is that when harassment and repression become the norm, people stop identifying it as a wrong phenomenon, do not question the legitimacy of the authorities, and live in ignorance. A quote in the text aptly confirms the compulsion to exist in ignorance: “Those who didn’t know continued not to know, so they stayed in the dark” (Cho Se-Hui). It illustrates how the factory workers got used to working conditions and their attitude toward themselves.
Therefore, awareness of reality, as well as living in ignorance, did not change anything. Moreover, ignorance can be considered a kind of defense or protective reaction of the psyche to the complexity of life conditions and moral pressure. The author criticizes not only the injustice of the political regime but also the inability to resist it.
The conflict in “We Didn’t Know” is mainly external since the story’s heroes conflict with the factory owners representing the political system. The quote that confirms the external conflict is: “We didn’t fear the fists of the men who beat us” (Cho Se-Hui, 21). This sentence confirms the possibility of fighting the system, but the inability is apparent.
Although the story does not offer an immediate resolution to the conflict, there is undoubtedly a sense of inner resolution for the workers when they receive answers to their questions after the hunger strike ends. It can be seen in the quote: “Let’s not fear our supervisors” (Cho Se-Hui, 57). The external conflict manifests itself in the poor treatment of the workers and thus resonates with the story’s central idea that people can be ignorant of the regime.
Setting and Point of View
The story’s setting is physical since the events take place in a textile factory. A quote that confirms the physical setting is: “Ungang Textile is a monster.” It illustrates the monotony and harshness of the environment of the heroes of the work and shows the author as one of the “sharp critics of industrialization in the 1970s” (Nam-Ho et al. 71). The central idea of the story is closely related to the physical setting since the factory is a symbol of the limitation of society within the established framework.
The story does not present a specific main character but a community of female factory workers. It can be traced through the thrust of the entire story, including in the quote: “The women decided to end their fast after seven days and six nights” (Cho Se-Hui). They are dedicated and hardworking but are victims of exploitation and unable to resist the system. The central idea that people can be desensitized to injustice is shown to the reader through the position of the heroes of the story.
The point of view in the story is first-person plural, as the story is narrated from the perspective of “we,” representing the workers. It is evident from the whole work and can be confirmed by the quote: “We were able to understand the hungry” (Cho Se-Hui, 9). Using the first-person plural point of view, the author emphasizes the importance of “women’s resistance to labor suppression” (Nam 333). Thus, the collective narrative of history calls for unification in opposition to authoritarian leadership.
Literary Devices
The two language devices used are metaphor and imagery. The metaphor is present in the story when the characters compare the factory with a “monster” and a “skeleton” (Cho Se-Hui). This language device is essential because it helps to describe the inhuman working conditions and the emotional state of female workers: “Those who couldn’t withstand the ordeal fainted and were taken to the hospital by the people outside” (Cho Se-Hui).
The second device is imagery, and one can observe its use in the following quote: “Hope was vague, and despair was certain” (Cho Se-Hui 43). Using this language device allows the reader to immerse himself in the environment in which the events took place. Finally, the use of language devices emphasizes the story’s main idea, that people live in terrible ignorance.
The tone is the author’s attitude towards the absence and lack of action when fighting injustice is needed. The tone is regretful and can be traced in the lines: “When we are back at work, let’s not pay any attention to what anybody says” (Cho Se-Hui 56). It may be evidence of inner remorse and helplessness in the face of circumstances.
The reader is in a mood of empathizing with their despair: “We felt that dying was truly difficult” (Cho Se-Hui 45). The use of the past tense creates a sense of irreversibility and helplessness in the reader. The story’s tone reflects the central idea, as the author emphasizes regret over the impossibility of changing the situation.
Conclusion
Using elements of fiction such as tone, metaphor, imagery, and a collective protagonist, the author successfully reveals the main idea of the impossibility of opposing the political regime in a short story. The literary analysis of this story is critical because it provides thought-provoking insight into the importance of building a decent society. The text and its analysis remind us of the importance of confronting conditions that do not suit or oppress the individual. Society and individuals must question any leadership that does not inspire trust, as this is the essence of a dignified and equal existence.
Works Cited
Nam, Jeong-Lim. “Labor Control of the State and Women’s Resistance in the Export Sector of South Korea”. Social Problems, Vol. 43, No. 3, 1996, pp. 327-338.
Nam-ho, Yi, et al. Twentieth-Century Korean Literature. Web.
Se-hui, Cho. We Didn’t Know. Two Lines Press, 2004.