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Book 2, Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pachinko, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival and Family
Imperialism, Resistance, and Compromise
Identity, Blood, and Contamination
Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices
Summary
Analysis
Mozasu is now 20. A tireless worker, he’s been heavily involved in helping Goro’s pachinko empire expand and thrive over the past few years. One day Goro tells Mozasu that he’s going to be the manager of his new seventh parlor, and he takes Mozasu to get some new tailored suits at Totoyama’s. Totoyama is now Goro’s exclusive uniform maker, and she’s been able to open a bigger shop and hire assistants. While being fitted for a new suit, Mozasu flirts with a pretty, aloof Korean girl named Yumi and finally persuades her to go on a date with him.
Mozasu’s success looks very different from Noa’s. He shows tremendous promise in a stereotypically Korean industry that’s looked down upon in Japanese society—the opposite of what Noa seeks. He’s also drawn to a Korean young woman. Thanks to Goro’s generous patronage, Totoyama’s business is doing well.
Themes
