Pachinko

Pachinko

by

Min Jin Lee

Akiko Fumeki Character Analysis

Akiko, Noa’s first girlfriend and Waseda University’s campus radical, comes from a wealthy Japanese family and is studying to be a sociologist. She is “brilliant, sensual, and creative.” Noa is attracted to Akiko’s willingness to reject conformity and to disagree with her professors—the opposite of his own habits. Akiko prides herself on being open-minded enough to date a Korean, in contrast to her racist parents. When Noa realizes this, he dumps her, but not before Akiko fatefully points out that Hansu is obviously Noa’s father, as the two strongly resemble one another.

Akiko Fumeki Quotes in Pachinko

The Pachinko quotes below are all either spoken by Akiko Fumeki or refer to Akiko Fumeki. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Survival and Family Theme Icon
).
Book 2, Chapter 19 Quotes

Noa stared at her. She would always believe that he was someone else, that he wasn’t himself but some fanciful idea of a foreign person; she would always feel like she was someone special because she had condescended to be with someone everyone else hated. His presence would prove to the world that she was a good person, an educated person, a liberal person. Noa didn’t care about being Korean when he was with her; in fact, he didn’t care about being Korean or Japanese with anyone. He wanted to be, to be just himself, whatever that meant; he wanted to forget himself sometimes. But that wasn’t possible. It would never be possible with her.

Related Characters: Noa Baek, Akiko Fumeki
Page Number: 307
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3, Chapter 5 Quotes

The marriage was a stable one, and eight years passed quickly. The couple did not quarrel. Noa did not love Risa in the way he had his college girlfriend, but that was a good thing, he thought. Never again, he swore, would he be that vulnerable to another person. Noa remained careful around his new family. Though he valued his wife and children as a kind of second chance, in no way did he see his current life as a rebirth. Noa carried the story of his life as a Korean like a dark, heavy rock within him. Not a day passed when he didn’t fear being discovered.

Related Characters: Noa Baek, Akiko Fumeki, Risa Iwamura
Page Number: 358
Explanation and Analysis:
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Pachinko PDF

Akiko Fumeki Quotes in Pachinko

The Pachinko quotes below are all either spoken by Akiko Fumeki or refer to Akiko Fumeki. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Survival and Family Theme Icon
).
Book 2, Chapter 19 Quotes

Noa stared at her. She would always believe that he was someone else, that he wasn’t himself but some fanciful idea of a foreign person; she would always feel like she was someone special because she had condescended to be with someone everyone else hated. His presence would prove to the world that she was a good person, an educated person, a liberal person. Noa didn’t care about being Korean when he was with her; in fact, he didn’t care about being Korean or Japanese with anyone. He wanted to be, to be just himself, whatever that meant; he wanted to forget himself sometimes. But that wasn’t possible. It would never be possible with her.

Related Characters: Noa Baek, Akiko Fumeki
Page Number: 307
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3, Chapter 5 Quotes

The marriage was a stable one, and eight years passed quickly. The couple did not quarrel. Noa did not love Risa in the way he had his college girlfriend, but that was a good thing, he thought. Never again, he swore, would he be that vulnerable to another person. Noa remained careful around his new family. Though he valued his wife and children as a kind of second chance, in no way did he see his current life as a rebirth. Noa carried the story of his life as a Korean like a dark, heavy rock within him. Not a day passed when he didn’t fear being discovered.

Related Characters: Noa Baek, Akiko Fumeki, Risa Iwamura
Page Number: 358
Explanation and Analysis: