Kim's Patience Play Summary

Intrigued and Enlightened

Kim’s Convenience written by Ins Choi is a play based upon a first generation Korean immigrant, Mr. Kim who is played by actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. As scenes progress it was brought to my attention that it will be about Mr. Kim and his family’s life in Canada. The play portrays a strong sense of humour as it focuses a large portion of the story on Mr. Kim’s slipping away legacy. It is based on his will to mend this gap through the use of his daughter, Janet, since his son Jung had left home years before because he also did not like his dad’s traditional views. As the play continues, a variety of hilarious scenarios are brought up as Mr. Kim tries to pass on his experience to his daughter Janet so that his legacy may

continue on. As this happens the audience begins to understand the differences between Mr. Kim and Janet’s personalities. “Appa , I’m not taking over the store.” Janet said. “Take over store is only choice you having.” Mr. Kim said. (pg. 53). Janet is very stubborn when it comes to dealing with her own future and this is seen through her strong distaste of taking over her father's store, when she really wants to pursue a career in photography. Mr. Kim on the other hand is adamant with sticking to his traditional ways, although this changes nearing the end of the play.

I enjoyed the play Kim’s Convenience as it was not like any other play I have read.

I took note of the strong element of humour being represented to a great extent, which kept my interest throughout the play, as I enjoy texts that have a bit of comedy spread about them. Many plays I have been exposed to do not possess this certain quality causing me to either immediately find them to be boring, or a dreaded feeling of having to over analyze every piece of text for days to come. Kim’s Convenience was able to illustrate various important messages through the story such as the importance of having a strong and healthy relationship within your family, in a unique and captivating way. Another key aspect this play hits well is its ability to express stereotypical remarks in a tasteful way through the banter between Mr. Kim and his daughter. “He is black guy, jean jacket. That combo is steal combo.” Mr. Kim said. “That is so awkwardly racist.” Janet said. I was able to focus more on important aspects the writer had originally intended for me to notice which I would miss if I had no interest in the material I was reading. Unfortunately, the plays we have looked at in the past have not always been relatable such as Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, therefore the messages they were trying to convey were not fully grasped. Kim’s Convenience did a good job at representing issues in a simple and entertaining

manner.

I found that, one of the most climactic parts of the story is when Janet rebels against Mr.Kim when he wants her to take on more responsibility around the family store. Janet decides that if Mr. Kim really feels she does not carry her weight around the store he should compensate for the countless tasks she has performed towards the benefit of the family store. Mr. Kim strikes back pinpointing the fact that he did not collect rent or require any form of payment for anything Janet had wanted to pursue when she was younger, even bringing up costs for items she uses now such as clothes, shoes, phone, metropass, internet, etc. This causes a huge argument over who has provided more for the other; which leads to Janet cutting the argument short as she realizes her father has given her everything she has needed up to this day. As Mr. Kim has time to calm down, he starts to realize the futility of his anger and that he should be more concerned of what really matters which is his family. Coincidentally, things start to fall into place as he changes his outlook on tradition and takes a more modern approach. Due to this newfound attitude towards putting Janet’s wants before his own, Janet is able to follow her dream of becoming whatever she wishes to be and Mr. Kim’s wish is finally answered as his son, Jung comes back to him around the end of the play to ask for a job working at his shop which will ultimately carry on his legacy.