Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee

Book Report by Dominique

    The book I have chosen to read is Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee. This is the story of a Korean woman's struggle to accept her traditional role as a submissive wife, while the world around her is drastically changing. This book documents the travels of Hong Young Baek (the main character) as she deals with life threatening factors. The story is narrated by Hong Young, who after she is married off to a man four years her junior, she basically loses her identity and from there on is know as Dukpil Lee's wife. The story begins in the town of Pong Young, Korea before the outbreak of the civil war. Hong Young begins her story from her living in the house of her parents. During this time Hong Young goes through conflicts that are both external and internal. An internal conflict Hong Young is facing is that of her fear of the duty she is destined to fulfill (that of being and obedient wife and mother) and keeping her headstrongness under raps. This is something very large in her life because her marriage is that of an arranged one, so in a sense she's being thrust into a situation with no knowledge of the person to whom she is to spend the rest of her life with. Another conflict Hong Young faces is her struggle with faith (in god) when everything she considers sacred is taken away from her and her world literally begins to crumble around her. An external conflict Hong Young faced was that of her country being oppressed by the Japanese military and her family having to evacuate to China and start over; making any sacrifices necessary to survive; only to return to Korea to a war which forced this affluent family into poverty.

    The main character in this story is Hong Young Baek. Hong Young faces many troubles in growing up in a society that dubbed her and all women for that matter as property of their fathers then later on in life property of their husbands. The headstrong and intelligent Hong Young often faced problems in trying to fulfill her parents wishes of being an obedient child/potential wife. The story documents the experiences she goes through and how she conforms to the circumstances she is faced with. The way Hong Young recalls her experiences gives you and insight to her feelings and reasoning as to why she made the decisions she made. The stories are depicted in such detail, the reader gets the impression they had occurred recently opposed to fifty years prior. These elements help the reader identify with Hong Young and in a sense become apart of her life. By the end of the novel Hong Young grows into a woman who understands how to make compromises for the better of her family and how to survive in the bleakest of conditions. I view Hong Young as being a very strong and determined woman who deeply care for her family and would make any necessary sacrifices to protect and provide for them.

    Hwaski Baek, Hong Young's mother served as an important character in the novel. Like many mother and daughter relationships, it was that of two who did not see eye to eye. Hwaski is portrayed as a traditional Korean wife. One who takes care of all household duties and is devoted completely to the needs and wants of her family. Throughout Hong Young life up until her marriage, Hwaski is the person who is forcefully trying to tame the free spirit of Hong Young. Hwaski constantly forces Hong Young to carry herself and perfect skills that would make her a dutiful wife to her future husband. This did not sit well with Hong Young who was afraid of all of the responsibilities she was to face, due to her ignorance of these matters. By the ending of the her life Hwaski becomes a figure who was not trying to control Hong Young as she was perceived in the beginning, but one who loved her daughter so much that she felt that she had to prepare her for the responsibility she would have to face in life. I view Hwaski as a woman of great wisdom who thinks in the best interest of her children, but often goes the wrong way about it.

    Another influential character was that of Dukpil Lee, Dukpil Lee is that husband of Hong Young. In the story Dukpil often serves as her inspiration and motivation to go on. The marriage between Dukpil and Hong Young marks the transition for both of them from children to adults. Dukpil serves as the leading figure in the Lee family and is a well respected man by his peers. Despite this well defined status he is a man that is very open and truly values his wife. Hong Young speaks of her husband upon their first meeting as a very handsome and sweet faced man. Hong Young was very lucky in finding a man like this because with arranged marriages women are automatically became the property of their husband and the wife's wishes and feelings often didn't matter. By the end of the story we see Dukpil grow from a boy into a man. The fact that Dukpil became a man during the time he and Hong Young were together only adds to the bond the two of them had. I view Dukpil as being a man who was wise and so comfortable with himself that he could stand to have his wife make many important decisions and value her opinion.

    Because the novel spanned over a vast amount of time, there were many conflicts. One of the major conflicts present was that of the conflicts between Hong Young and her dwindling faith. After being imprisoned Hong Young was dragged out of her house in front of her children under the request of the now communist North Korean government. Hong Young was then thrown into an over crowded and inhabitable contaminated cell. In the cell Hong Young was greeted by the faces of many women whose hopes , dreams and faith were diminished. Despite this morbid image displayed before Hong Young, her faith in Jesus Christ kept her mind resistant to the potential dangers that faced her. The conflicts between the government and the belief's of Hong Young's family and families of many North Koreans caused the mass exodus to South Korea. This journey was not an easy one, aside from having to fight the harsh weather conditions and the lack of food and shelter, the refugees found themselves fighting against the allied countries who because of the many guises of communist soldiers found themselves firing on what appeared to the naked eye as fleeing citizens. This journey bore many loses from Hong Young and her family. The loss of her house, wealth, the separation from her husband, the starvation of herself for the benefit of her children and the "death" of her eldest son Young Woon put a strain on the morale of Hong Young but it did not stop her from completing her task of reaching safety and reuniting with her family.

    Another important scene of conflict within the novel is when Hon Young "abandons" her family to serves as a Chyro (physical therapist) for a colony of Lepers. This was a major conflict because Hong Young left her family during a time in which she was needed the most. Her family had finally fled from North Korea and were now trying to put the many pieces of their broken lives back together. This act affected the relationship between Hong Young and her daughter Dukwah. Dukwah was a very head strong young lady and felt her mother was being unreasonable and did not care for her family by leaving them under the pretenses of helping others when her family needed her the most. This action would propel Dukwah into maturity faster than she expected. She felt as though she was being more of a mother to her siblings and herself more than that of her own mother.

    The greatest tension in the story was that of when Hong Young lost her faith. The kind, caring and patient demeanor of Hong Young has disappeared, all that was left was an extremely bitter woman. The hardships in her life forced Hong Young to turn her back on her faith. Hong Young became in a sense evil, locking and neglecting her husbands grandmother in a room by herself. Openly criticizing her husband for his "silly" beliefs. This dark period in Hong Young's life was changed when she regained her faith. She realized things happened to people for the sole purpose of making them stronger. This defining moment marked a major turning point in the life of Hong Young. No longer would she let peoples perceptions of happiness (money and wealth) determine her own personal happiness. Having experienced both of these things she realized there was more to life.

    There is no definite ending to the story just as series of closures. The story finished with the Lee family now residing in San Francisco, California. Dukwah, her husband George and her two daughters relocated to North America and later on in years were joined by her siblings, mother and aunts. In America the family became successful and started families of their own. Despite the happiness they have come to Hong Young could not help but feel some guilt for her loss of her eldest son Young Woon. Before the story ends we discover that Yong Woon is indeed alive and has a family of his own. This event serves as a new chapter in the life of Hong Young rather than the end of it. In this novel many themes ranging from patients is a virtue to family is the most important thing were, were explored. The theme for me that stood out the most was that of determination will lead you to better things. This them was in repetition greatly because despite the many hardships Hong Young faced she never stopped from achieving her goal. This also reassured me that my life is not as complicated as I made it to be.

    I enjoyed this book greatly because it told a very intense and emotional tale of a woman's struggle , aside from out many differences, I found myself identifying with the main character on many levels. The book reinforced my belief that my "problems" in life are major because I myself make them that. There are many people who have an will continue to face much worse and one should be grateful for the tranquility we are allowed to experience. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else because it is a series of countless well written and intensely emotional tales

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