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Book 3, Chapter 13
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
After Yangjin’s funeral, Hana and Solomon start secretly having sex. Even though Solomon is not yet 14 and Hana is 17, Hana starts training Solomon to be her ideal lover. Solomon is in love with her, and Hana is troubled, relying on alcohol and sex to make her happy. Solomon gives her all his money until it runs out. One day, Hana runs away to Tokyo and disappears, leaving Solomon a note in which she calls herself his “dirty flower.”
Hana evidently struggles with her self-worth after growing up ostracized for having a divorced mother, and she tries to find happiness in sex with Solomon, whose innocence and devotion she enjoys. She sees herself as “dirty” because of her outsider status.
Themes
