Pachinko

Pachinko

by

Min Jin Lee

John Maryman Character Analysis

Maryman, a Presbyterian pastor, is Yumi’s and Mozasu’s English teacher. He was born in Korea and adopted by Americans, raised in a loving and wealthy family in the United States. He moves to Japan out of a desire to minister among the oppressed Korean community there. He enjoys teaching English to Koreans because it gives them another language to speak together that isn’t Japanese. Maryman has more stereotypically American cultural traits, such as a love of teasing his students. Such teasing results in Mozasu proposing to Yumi in front of the English class one day.
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John Maryman Character Timeline in Pachinko

The timeline below shows where the character John Maryman appears in Pachinko. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 2, Chapter 17
Survival and Family Theme Icon
Identity, Blood, and Contamination Theme Icon
Yumi’s and Mozasu’s English class meets in a church and is taught by John Maryman , a jovial pastor of Korean birth who was raised by American adoptive parents. Yumi... (full context)
Survival and Family Theme Icon
Imperialism, Resistance, and Compromise Theme Icon
Identity, Blood, and Contamination Theme Icon
John Maryman had enjoyed a privileged childhood with loving parents in Princeton, New Jersey, but he came... (full context)
Identity, Blood, and Contamination Theme Icon
Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices Theme Icon
During class that day, John Maryman teases Mozasu in English when he notices him staring at Yumi. Mozasu replies that he... (full context)