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Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Single Shard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Found Family
Pride and Work
Art
Bravery
Honesty
Summary
Analysis
As the days pass, Tree-ear lurks around the kiln trying to spy on Kang’s pottery, but he doesn’t see the mysterious etched cup. Then one evening as he walks past a large crowd around the village wine shop, another boy flags him down. This surprises Tree-ear, since as an orphan he’s “considered very bad luck.” The boy tells him that a royal emissary is planning to visit Ch’ulp’o and then another region famous for its pottery, Kangjin. Everyone infers that the emissary is going to give out royal commissions to selected potters. Tree-ear spots Kang in the crowd, smiling and looking secretive.
The revelation that orphans are “considered very bad luck” emphasizes Crane-man’s generosity in caring for and becoming the guardian of young Tree-ear. Meanwhile, Kang’s secretive smile as the others gossip about royal commissions hints that Kang believes his new pottery technique will win him a commission.
Themes
That night, Tree-ear can’t sleep. When Crane-man asks him what’s wrong, he asks whether it’s wrong to steal an idea. Crane-man says nothing for so long that Tree-ear returns to his own thoughts: Min, a more patient artist, makes pots superior to Kang’s because he makes more copies of every piece to ensure that at least one good piece results from the mysterious, inconsistent process of firing. Kang is sloppier and makes fewer copies. If Kang’s etching process is an innovation, Min could probably do it better—but he’ll only know about the innovation if Tree-ear tells him.
This passage suggests that Min is a better potter than Kang because he is a prouder, harder worker: he throws the same pot over and over until it is perfect, he fires multiple copies to make sure at least one pot comes out correctly, and so on. Yet Kang may be more innovative. Thus, the novel indicates that hard work and innovation are both elements of art—one is not obviously more important than the other. Meanwhile, Tree-ear is struggling to decide whether telling Min Kang’s secret would be honest—so he asks Crane-man, showing both Crane-man’s paternal influence over Tree-ear and the occasional necessity of talking over the complex concept of honesty in order to do the right thing.
Themes
At last, Crane-man tells Tree-ear that taking an idea someone is keeping secret is theft, but not an idea someone has publicized. Tree-ear concludes that telling Min of Kang’s innovation would be stealing at this point—so he can’t do it.
As soon as Crane-man tells Tree-ear that stealing a secret idea is theft, Tree-ear immediately decides not to tell Min Kang’s secret. This decision shows both Crane-man’s parental influence over Tree-ear and Tree-ear’s genuine commitment to being honest even when it might benefit him to be dishonest.
Themes
Outwardly, the work of the potters doesn’t change—but everyone works harder and seems more serious, including Min. Then one morning, Tree-ear and the other potters’ employees clear Ch’ulp’o’s marketplace area and start setting up display shelves. Min has instructed Tree-ear to set up his display so that the emissary will face the sea when he looks at Min’s pots—implicitly so that he’ll notice the pure sea-color of Min’s celadon ware.
While the novel has focused up to this point on Tree-ear’s innate aesthetic sense, Min clearly has an innate aesthetic sense as well: he notices the color relationship between the sea and his pots and organizes his pots to highlight that relationship.
Themes
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One night, the emissary arrives at last. The following morning, Tree-ear pushes a cart of Min’s pottery to the marketplace while Min orders him around and curses. When they arrive, Min carefully arranges his pottery on the shelves. Tree-ear has a secret: one pot, constructed of overlapping leaves, contains a leaf that Tree-ear secretly molded and used to replace one of the original leaves. He’s guilty about his deception but proud that he can’t even tell which leaf is his.
Previously, readers have seen that Tree-ear tries very hard to be honest. Yet he is willing to deceive Min a little to participate in making pottery, which shows the strength of his ambition to become a ceramics artist.
Themes
While Min fusses over the display, muttering that he could have done better if he’d had more time, Tree-ear has an idea and runs off. He returns, panting, with two flowering plum branches to put in Min’s prunus vases. Min grumpily rejects one of the branches for not having enough blossoms but admits it’s a good idea to show how the vases would be displayed. Tree-ear is happy; he can see through Min’s grumpiness now and knows Min is pleased with his idea.
Tree-ear’s realization that a flowering plum branch will set off the beauty of Min’s prunus vases shows his innate—and growing—sense of artistic beauty. Min’s acceptance of Tree-ear’s idea, meanwhile, shows that he recognizes Tree-ear’s good aesthetic sense even as he grumpily refuses to praise Tree-ear.
Themes
Now that Min’s display is complete, Tree-ear goes to look at Kang’s stall. He sees that, when fired, the white and red slips have turned bright white and black, creating a striking, beautiful, and innovative etched pattern against the celadon background. Tree-ear is crestfallen because he’s sure the emissary will pick Kang’s innovative work for a rare commission. And in fact, the emissary—Emissary Kim—lingers a long time at Kang’s display. Kang explains to the emissary that his innovation is “inlay work,” a technique he borrowed from lacquerware.
The novel has previously suggested that Kang is not a sufficiently hard worker—he lacks high enough standards for his pots. Yet he is innovative in a way that the harder-working, more talented Min is not. Thus, the novel suggests again that both innovation and hard work with high standards are necessary to create great works of art.
Themes
When Emissary Kim finally arrives at Min’s stall, he examines a “melon-shaped jug” closely and then asks whether Min made the wine pot from the dinner he had last night. When the official accompanying Kim, with whom Kim dined the previous night, says Min did, Kim notes that melon-shaped jugs are everywhere—but that Min’s execution is unmistakable. Min bows, while Tree-ear is overcome with joy. Yet Tree-ear knows Kim won’t give anyone a commission until he’s visited Kangjin too.
Here, through Emissary Kim, the novel extends its comparison between the sloppy but innovative potter Kang and the meticulous but traditional potter Min: though Kang has come up with an innovation, his pots aren’t unmistakably his—whereas Min’s execution of his pottery renders his pots unique to him. This contrast hints that while innovation in art does matter, hard work and high standards may ultimately be more important.
Themes
