Phoebe asked this question about Pachinko:
What did you make of Koh Hansu versus Yoseb? For much of the book, I couldn't quite understand why there was such uncomplicated hatred for Hansu. Most likely, he saved everybody's life, multiple times and in multiple ways. It is only toward the end that the author includes a very vivid example of his brutality, which I imagine was deliberate––maybe to shame anyone for feeling tacitly supportive of him?
Phoebe Yoseb, on the other hand, deeply angered me throughout the book: the way he controlled his wife, the way he fought with and forbid the women from impr…moreYoseb, on the other hand, deeply angered me throughout the book: the way he controlled his wife, the way he fought with and forbid the women from improving their own destinies. I realize he's meant to be "of his time," but when he wasn't being condescending and stubborn, he was just a straight-up burden on the family. I wonder if this idea of villainy, and who is really hurting versus helping the family, is meant to be complicated by Yoseb's character. (less)
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