A Single Shard Themes

In A Single Shard, a person’s family consists of the people who take care of them—whether they are biological relatives or not. The novel’s protagonist, Tree-ear, is an adolescent orphan living in 12th-century Korea whose parents died of a severe fever when he was about two years old. Though a charitable monk paid a man to bring Tree-ear to his nearest relative, the monk was unable to locate him. Villagers living close to…

In A Single Shard, pride motivates people to work hard while hard work bolsters pride in a virtuous cycle. Yet pride can also prevent people from asking for help, causing them unnecessary problems. Thus, pride can be either a good motivator or a stumbling block depending on context. The good and bad aspects of pride are clearest in the master potter Min. Due to Min’s pride in his art, he works very hard…

In A Single Shard, being brave doesn’t mean exactly imitating the behavior of other brave people: instead, it means figuring out what the correct but difficult thing to do is in one’s own situation. The novel’s protagonist, a homeless orphan named Tree-ear who lives under a bridge with his disabled guardian Crane-man, at one point asks why Crane-man chose to live outdoors when he lost his home rather than seeking shelter in a…

In A Single Shard, honesty is an important virtue—but the story also suggests that honesty can be relative and isn’t always self-evident. Because of this, characters must carefully discuss their actions with trusted conversational partners to determine what the honest thing to do is in any given situation. This dynamic is clearest in the relationship between adolescent orphan Tree-ear and his homeless, disabled guardian Crane-man. Though Crane-man has raised Tree-ear to be honest…