Cranes, 38th Parallel, and Reconciliation

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Cranes, 38th Parallel, and Reconciliation

While reading this short story by Hwang Sunwon, it really opened my eyes to the reality of the conflict between North and South Korea. Being that I live in the US, a lot of my initial view on the separation of the Koreas was fairly oriented to see the way that the US did. A lot of the opinions I was surrounded by growing up favored the US as the “heroes” of the Korean War. But from the perspective presented in this short story, the US was not the hero but rather the instigator of the conflict along with the Soviet Union. As time keeps going and the separation of Korea continues to be unresolved, a question that is often times asked is whether or not there is hope for future reconciliation between these two sides of the 38th parallel at all. In the short story, Cranes by Hwang Sunwon, he illustrates the situation between two childhood friends who are put on opposite sides of the Korean War and meet in a confrontation. His story carries the underlying message that reconciliation will only occur under the circumstances in which the two Koreas will come to reject outside forces that played roles in their conflict, understand each other, and come to the conclusion that they are the same race the same people.

Metaphorically this reconciliation between the two characters Songsam and Tokchae also imply a future reconciliation between the two Koreas. In the story it illustrates the past between the two friends and how their present conflict was due to forces outside of their control. Before the Korean War, Korea was liberating from Japan and rebuilding their government and this was where the initial conflict arose. As one group favored more Communistic ways of governing and the other favored a ...

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... two characters was realized and they came to forget their current conflict and situation of enmity and return to their initial feelings of the brotherhood they shared. Hwang Sunwon subtly introduces the idea that they have to come to understanding and return back to the past the two Koreas shared.

Another factor that will bring the Koreas to reconciliation is that they hold a history that is deeply rooted that they cannot stay apart forever. The Korean people on either side of the 38th parallel speak the same language, are of the same ethnicity, and came to split from one people. Hwang Sunwon compares the cranes to the Korean people in that through the understanding of the other side and the rejection of outside influence, they will come to be free and united as one nation like how the cranes were liberated at the end taking their flight together in reunion.

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