Free Essay

With Her Oil Lamp on, That Night Review

In: Novels

Submitted By BCSatsu
Words 1592
Pages 7
Bill Chang
HSTAS 482
H. Nam
Review Paper
With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night Review With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night is a Korean novel written by Lim Chul-Woo during the times of War in Korea. This short story is written in such a way that readers can relate to the pain that the victims of the Korean War felt. Lim tells the story with such detail so that the readers feel like they are actually there observing. The story opens with a soldier in the company of rebels in the woods outside the town in which he grew up. The town was evacuated more than two months prior, but that night the soldier and his company saw a light. The soldier thought that it could be from his own house due to the fact that it was in the same area and it was the anniversary of the death of his father. He thought to himself that it is his own mother coming back to look for him and to pay her respects to her husband. The story then switches to the viewpoint of the mother of the soldier in the woods. She has taken the risk to return to her village even though it was forbidden for her to return. She was clinging to the hope that her son might return; clinging so much that when she evacuated her town, she did not even board up the windows and doors like much of the rest of the town. Many of the villagers even went as far as to burn down the homes that they were leaving behind. Lim continues the story in the mother’s point of view. She is in her home with meager portions of food for the tribute to her deceased husband. During the war, these meager portions of food were a luxury. Grains and Vegetables were hard to come by and the mother went through the trouble to save them. Soon after she makes the food, she hears a noise outside her house, thinking it is her son returning, she goes out to check and she sees the town’s well known “crazy-woman”. The woman is pregnant, and even though the mother does not know anything about the woman, she has the compassion to let this woman in and shelter her. At this point, Lim changes the point of view of the story to Lieutenant Gang. He is in charge of the squad hiding out over the town. He was given the report that a woman had sneaked into the village and that was where the communist guerrillas most frequently appeared. As the lieutenant looked up at the moon, a past memory flashed. The lieutenant was also a victim of the war. His wife was killed by communists and at the time, she was pregnant with the lieutenant’s first child. Soon after this memory, the squad spots a figure emerging from the hills. As soon as the figure starts running, unexpected shots are fired and the lieutenant orders the squad to start firing. The body falls, and Lim reveals that the figure was the soldier. He had seen the light and was trying to return to his mother. With his last breath, he utters “Ah, Mother” and it was at this very moment that the child “crazy-woman” was born in his house. This story represents the issues of the Korean War. Lim uses the setting, events in the story, and the different characters to show the readers what the people of Korea had suffered through. Lim uses the setting of the evacuated town to show that the most important thing the people of Korea had to give up was their lives. The government called for evacuations of many towns. In the story, there were people that burned the houses that they left; a clear inclination of never returning to the town that they evacuated. Even from a different point of view, the soldier in the woods had to leave his life and his only mother behind to join the guerrillas in order to survive. The town itself is a symbol of loss in the eyes of the villagers that once lived there; however, the events that occurred in the town are more effective in transmitting the Lim’s message. The events in the story itself help Lim touch the hearts of the readers. The loss of the husband in the war shows how deeply the Korean families were affected. The mother had lost her husband, and she said that “She did not receive so much as a piece of his bone or a strand of his hair” (24). She was told that the man she had loved died in a telegram. His last words to her were that he was going to return after six months and with that, “he walked over the brow of the hill”(24). When Lim uses events such as these in the story, it is easy for the readers to relate to what is happening. The readers subconsciously told to imagine themselves in the shoes of the mother. What if the reader had to let their loved one leave and was only told about their death with one single sheet of paper in the mail. Lim’s choice of including such events in the story allows her to connect with her readers on a deeper level. Lim is trying to get the readers to understand the effects of the war. She does this because the impacts of the war were so great on Korean society. This story is very effective in showing the readers how the war shaped the people and their way of life. In the story, it is also very clear that she wants the readers to understand that war is inherently a negative event. The four main characters of this story all have different backgrounds, but they all share the same issue of death and loss. The mother had lost her husband and her child, the “crazy-woman” had lost her life and sanity before arriving at the town, Lieutenant Gang had lost his wife and unborn first child, and finally the soldier in the woods had lost his father and life and even at the last chance to be reunited with his mother, he lost his own life. The fact that Lim has these characters from such different backgrounds share these feelings is the proof of the effect of war. War causes people to lose the things they care about; mainly their loved ones. The characters all have a different background. They all came from different places; however, they all have lost someone they hold dear. The two main viewpoints are from the guerrillas and the military. If the readers look from the guerrilla’s point of view, the soldier in the woods lost his father in the war, and he also lost his way of life in the village that was evacuated. On the other hand, the military’s point of view is characterized by Lieutenant Gang. He had lost his wife and his first unborn child due to the war. These two opposing sides are essential to the cause of the war and yet, both sides have lost. In addition to this, if the villagers are taken into account, the mother of the soldier also has lost her husband and by the end of the story, her son too. Everything in the story seems to point to the fact that Lim feels that war only has negative impacts. In examining if Lim has “succeeded” in this work, I believe that she has. This work of literature has the depth to pull readers in and the imagery to allow readers to believe that they are a part of the story. The story outlines the feelings of the villagers in the Korean War. The people were confused and many people from both sides were harmed. In addition to the casualties from both sides, there were many innocents harmed as portrayed by the soldier in the woods. He did not side with the guerrillas nor did he side with the military. His only reason for following the guerrillas was for survival and it was because of that reason that he was shot in the end. With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night clearly shows the harms of the war. With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night brings in characters with a vast multitude of backgrounds to the evacuated village. The characters all share the same burden of a long lost love, yet they are on different sides of the war. This in itself clearly shows the effects of war. In addition to this, Lim puts the story a town that was evacuated. The boarded and burned down houses in the town symbolize how the villagers had to give up their ways of life and in some cases they could not even return. Finally, the events of the story give the readers a clear idea of the devastating effects of the war. The soldier in the woods was not at fault, the lieutenant was not at fault, and nor were the guerrillas at fault. Lim chooses not to tell the readers who shot the soldier first because no one is at fault. The war is the only reason that everything is happening. The war is the cause of the pain and suffering of all these people and this story is deemed successful because the readers are left with the question “Why war?”

Similar Documents

Free Essay

With Her Oil Lamp on, That Night Review

...With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night Review With Her Oil Lamp On, That Night is a Korean novel written by Lim Chul-Woo during the times of War in Korea. This short story is written in such a way that readers can relate to the pain that the victims of the Korean War felt. Lim tells the story with such detail so that the readers feel like they are actually there observing. The story opens with a soldier in the company of rebels in the woods outside the town in which he grew up. The town was evacuated more than two months prior, but that night the soldier and his company saw a light. The soldier thought that it could be from his own house due to the fact that it was in the same area and it was the anniversary of the death of his father. He thought to himself that it is his own mother coming back to look for him and to pay her respects to her husband. The story then switches to the viewpoint of the mother of the soldier in the woods. She has taken the risk to return to her village even though it was forbidden for her to return. She was clinging to the hope that her son might return; clinging so much that when she evacuated her town, she did not even board up the windows and doors like much of the rest of the town. Many of the villagers even went as far as to burn down the homes that they were leaving behind. Lim continues the story in the mother’s point of view. She is in her home with meager portions of food for the tribute to her deceased husband. During the war, these meager portions...

Words: 1584 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Umar Bin Abi Taleb

...said you had better take care of your own family first. Your sister and brother in law have accepted Islam. Hearing this Umar changed his direction and went straight to his sister’s house. When Umar knocked on the door they were studying the Holy Quran from Khabbab. His sister Fatimah was frightened on hearing Umars voice tried to hide the portion of the Quran she was reciting.  When Umar entered the house he enquired about their Islam and on finding that they had accepted Islam he first fell upon his brother in law and beat him severely. When his sister stepped in to help he smote her so violently on her face she it bled profusely. ON this his sister burst out “DO whatever you like, we are determined to die as Muslims”  When Umar saw his sister bleeding he cooled down and felt ashamed. He loved Fatimah very much but could not tolerate her conversion to Islam, However deeply moved Umar asked her to show the pages on which the Holy Quran was written. But she was after all Umar s sister and told him straight “You cannot touch this unless you have a bath and make yourself clean. He washed...

Words: 1476 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Lesson Plan in Mythology

...MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE Sta. Elena, Marikina City Lesson Plan in ENGLISH 224 MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE TOPIC: Story of Love and Adventure: Cupid and Psyche Prepared By: Jem Mirachelley J. Mabalot I. OBJECTIVES a. To know the connection between Cupid And Pysche. b. To identify the significance of trust in our lives. c. To appreciate things they have now. II. SUBJECT MATTER a. Topic: Story of Love and Adventure: Cupid And Psyche b. References: Hamilton, E. (2012). The Classical Bestseller Mythology, New York; Grand Central Publishing. 96-104. www.elfwood.com www.shmoop.com/cupid-psyche/summary c. Materials * Projector * Powerpoint Presentation * Pictures * VISUAL AIDS d. Introduction of the Author Apuleius (/ˌæpjʉˈliːəs/; also called Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis, Berber: Afulay; c. 125 – c. 180 C.E.) was a Latin-language prose writer. He was a Numidian Berber and lived during the Roman period.[1] He was from Madaurus (now M'Daourouch, Algeria). He studied Platonist philosophy inAthens; travelled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt; and was an initiate in several cults or mysteries. The most famous incident in his life was when he was accused of using magic to gain the attentions (and fortune) of a wealthy widow. He declaimed and then distributed a witty tour de force in his own defense before the proconsul and a court of magistrates convened in Sabratha, near ancient Tripoli...

Words: 2025 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Communication and Information Technology

...information technology and how we use it. Write a paper (700-1000 words) in which you answer the following questions. Answer the questions separately. 1. Give an outline of the use of information and communication technology as it is presented in texts 1 and 2. 2. What is Stuart Jeffries' attitude to mobile phones and e-mail in text 3, and how does he express it? Illustrate your answer with examples from the text. 3. On the basis of the review of Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation (text 4), discuss some appropriate ways of using the Internet. Texts 1. Matt Richtel, "Don't Want to Talk About It? Order a Missed Call", an article from The New York Times website, 2008. 2. Andrew Keen, "Sex, Lies and the Internet", an excerpt from his book The Cult of the Amateur. How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy, 2007. 3. Stuart Jeffries, "Technophobia - the sign of a born leader?", a comment from The Guardian website, 2008. 4. Lee Drutman, "Review of Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation", a review from Los Angeles Times website, 2008. B Write an essay (700-1000 words) in which you analyse and interpret Jo Cannon's short story "Insignificant Gestures". Your essay must include the following points: - a characterization of the narrator the relationship between the narrator and Celia the narrator's error of judgment the significance of time and place Text Jo Cannon, "Insignificant Gestures", a short story, 2007. Side...

Words: 5298 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Copy

...mail.com Guide to Energy Management Seventh Edition Guide to Energy Management Seventh Edition by Barney L. Capehart, Ph.D., CEM Wayne C. Turner, Ph.D. PE, CEM William J. Kennedy, Ph.D., PE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Capehart, B. L. (Barney L.) Guide to energy management / by Barney L. Capehart, Wayne C. Turner, William J. Kennedy. -- 7th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-10: 0-88173-671-6 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-88173-672-4 (electronic) ISBN-13: 978-1-4398-8348-8 (alk. paper) 1. Energy conservation--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Energy consumption--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Turner, Wayne C., 1942- II. Kennedy, William J., 1938- III. Title. TJ163.3.C37 2011 621.042--dc23 2011021960 Guide to energy management by Barney L. Capehart, Wayne C. Turner, William J. Kennedy--Seventh Edition ©2012 by The Fairmont Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by The Fairmont Press, Inc. 700 Indian Trail Lilburn, GA 30047 tel: 770-925-9388; fax: 770-381-9865 http://www.fairmontpress.com Distributed by Taylor & Francis Ltd. 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487, USA E-mail: orders@crcpress.com Distributed by Taylor & Francis Ltd. 23-25 Blades Court Deodar Road London...

Words: 73070 - Pages: 293

Premium Essay

Understanding Space

...2004 Pontiac Grand Am Owner Manual Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8 Safety Belts .............................................. 1-9 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-32 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) ...................................... 1-54 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-61 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 Keys ........................................................ 2-2 Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-7 Windows ................................................. 2-15 Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-17 Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-18 Mirrors .................................................... 2-35 Storage Areas ......................................... 2-37 Sunroof .................................................. 2-38 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-2 Climate Controls ...................................... 3-19 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ......... 3-22 Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-38 M Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2 Towing ...

Words: 77182 - Pages: 309

Premium Essay

Sip Project

...Panganiban Owen Karl V. Santos Chapter 1 Background Study Introduction The beginning of perfume use can be traced back thousands of years to the early Egyptians. The first perfume we’re part of religious rituals. It was developed together with the first cosmetics, but they weren’t made to attract opposite sex; they were made the good will of the gods. The Egyptians were very spiritual people so they put containers of perfumes even in their tombs. After sometimes perfume use started becoming more personal. People started using perfume in their Baths. The oils helped to protect their skin from drying out in the hot climate. Perfume containers have always been attractive. The Egyptians treated their perfumes with great respect, and believed that only the best containers were good enough to hold them. Perfume making is passed on through the ages. When the Greeks and Romans moved in Egypt, they told the perfume oils and ointments the Egyptian used. So they quickly learned how to produce them, and started adding their own touches. Perfume makes it way around the world. The common problem in perfumes nowadays is sometimes it is very strong scented that it hurts in our noses. It also causes rushes, for those who has sensitive skin. Some perfumes smells good on the first application but then fades away after sometimes. These are the problems in artificial perfumes. So the researcher thought of an alternative way to make a perfume out of flowers that will capture people’s preference...

Words: 5910 - Pages: 24

Free Essay

Paper

...Captain Ahab, nature would punish us human beings. Man’s conquest and control on nature will leads to crisis. The harmonious relationship in ecosystem should be built. Human beings should respect nature and take proper advantage of nature, which could help avoid the ruin of the entire human beings. Introduction Moby-Dick, one of the greatest symbolic novels, is the masterpiece of Herman Melville. It displays the severe struggle between man and nature in American literature. And also there are many conflicting ideas concerning it. Moby-Dick is a vivid description of man’s encroachment on nature. The novel is generally regarded as an encyclopedia of many things: cetology, history, philosophy, religion and so on. Because of this, many reviews on this book from different points of view appear, such as from the point of view of psychology to reveal man’s psychic confusion as Ahab’s monomaniac syndrome; of the problems of identity, race, and sexual innuendoes in this novel; of classical American themes, such as religion, fate, and economic expansion, as well as a radically experimental anachronism in modern times. It has been read as myth, epic, political allegory, psychological document and philosophical document. Melville spoke ahead of his time. One of the major themes in Moby-Dick is alienation between man and...

Words: 3470 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Ceo & President

...Opportunities for Women in Renewable Energy Technology Use in Bangladesh (Phase I) April 2004 Joint UNDP/World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) and Bank Netherlands Water Partnership Program (BNWPP) Contents Preface........................................................................................................................vii Abbreviations and Acronyms....................................................................................xi Executive Summary.................................................................................................xiii Background and Context .................................................................................xiii Objectives ....................................................................................................... xiv Coastal Electrification and Women’s Development Microenterprise (CEWDM) ............................................................................................. xv Development of Training Modules ................................................................... xv Operational Performance................................................................................ xvi Social Outcomes............................................................................................. xvi Electrification Options as a Function of Household Income .......................... xvi Costs of Rural Lighting and Electrification.................................................

Words: 40317 - Pages: 162

Free Essay

Eyes & Ears Q&a

...Ear 1. The nurse is performing a voice test to assess hearing. Which of the following describes the accurate procedure for performing this test? A. Stand 4 feet away from the client to ensure that the client can hear at this distance. B. Whisper a statement and ask the client to repeat it. C. Whisper a statement with the examiners back facing the client D. Whisper a statement while the client blocks both ears. 2.    During a hearing assessment, the nurse notes that the sound lateralizes to the clients left ear with the Weber test. The nurse analyzes this result as: 1. A normal finding 2. A conductive hearing loss in the right ear 3. A sensorineural or conductive loss 4. The presence of nystagmus 3.     The nurse is caring for a client that is hearing impaired. Which of the following approaches will facilitate communication? 1. Speak frequently 2. Speak loudly 3. Speak directly into the impaired ear 4. Speak in a normal tone 4.     The nurse has conducted discharge teaching for a client who had a fenestration procedure for the treatment of otosclerosis. Which of the following, if stated by the client, would indicate that teaching was effective? 1. “I should drink liquids through a straw for the next 2-3 weeks.” 2. “It’s ok to take a shower and wash my hair.” 3. “I will take stool softeners as prescribed by my doctor.” 4. “I can resume my penis lessons starting next week.”  5.     A client arrives...

Words: 4400 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

English Patient

...she has been working and looks into the distance. She has sensed a shift in the weather. There is another gust of wind, a buckle of noise in the air, and the tall cypresses sway. She turns and moves uphill towards the house, climbing over a low wall, feeling the first drops of rain on her bare arms. She crosses the loggia and quickly enters the house. In the kitchen she doesn’t pause but goes through it and climbs the stairs which are in darkness and then continues along the long hall, at the end of which is a wedge of light from an open door. She turns into the room which is another garden—this one made up of trees and bowers painted over its walls and ceiling. The man lies on the bed, his body exposed to the breeze, and he turns his head slowly towards her as she enters. Every four days she washes his black body, beginning at the destroyed feet. She wets a washcloth and holding it above his ankles squeezes the water onto him, looking up as he murmurs, seeing his smile. Above the shins the burns are worst. Beyond purple. Bone. She has nursed him for months and she knows the body well, the penis sleeping like a sea horse, the thin tight hips. Hipbones of Christ, she thinks. He is her despairing saint. He lies flat on his back, no pillow, looking up...

Words: 83532 - Pages: 335

Premium Essay

Fraternities

...Utah State Hospital Policies and Procedures Facilities Management Table of Contents Utah State Hospital Facilities Management Utah State Hospital Support Services Management Maintenance Utilities Systems Management Plan UTILITIES SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT PLAN _______________________________________________________ ______________ I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. IXV. XV. Preface Policy Objective Responsibility Process Scope Criteria For Critical Components Utilities Systems Problem Reports Training Communication; Risk Management Control Committee Annual Review Utility Subcommittee Utility Systems Policy and Procedures Utility Systems Emergency Protocol Utility Systems Safety & Security Fleet Operations Utah State Hospital Facilities Management Rev: 04/98, 12/98, 11/00, 3/04 The Utilities Management Plan describes how the organization will establish and maintain a utility systems management program to: a. b. c. Promote a safe, controlled, comfortable environment of care; Assess and minimize risks of utility failures; and Ensure operational reliability of utility systems; The plan provides processes for: d. Establishing criteria for identifying, evaluating, and taking inventory of critical operating components of systems to be included in the utility management program. These criteria address the impact of utility systems on: 1. Life support systems, 2. Infection control systems, 3. Environmental support systems, 4. Equipment-support systems...

Words: 27743 - Pages: 111

Premium Essay

Dubliners

...tempestuous early relationship with the Irish Roman Catholic Church is reflected through a similar inner conflict in his recurrent alter ego Stephen Dedalus. As the result of his minute attentiveness to a personal locale and his self-imposed exile and influence throughout Europe, Joyce became simultaneously one of the most cosmopolitan and one of the most local of all the great English language writers. Source: Wikipedia 2 Chapter 1 The Sisters There was no hope for him this time: it was the third stroke. Night after night I had passed the house (it was vacation time) and studied the lighted square of window: and night after night I had found it lighted in the same way, faintly and evenly. If he was dead, I thought, I would see the reflection of candles on the darkened blind, for I knew that two candles must be set at the head of a corpse. He had often said to me: I am not long for this world and I had thought his words idle. Now I knew they were true. Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly to myself the word paralysis. It had always sounded strangely in my ears, like the word gnomon in the Euclid and the word simony in the Catechism. But now it sounded to me like the name of...

Words: 68296 - Pages: 274

Premium Essay

Marketing

...Marketing Channel Strategies in Rural Emerging Markets Unlocking Business Potential By Benjamin Neuwirth Benjamin Neuwirth, Kellogg School of Management, bneuwirth2012@kellogg.northwestern.edu 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In his landmark book “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid,” C.K. Prahalad describes the profits that can be earned by selling products to “Bottom of the Pyramid” customers. While there is truth to this, companies face unique challenges when operating in the rural regions of emerging markets where many of these customers live. For example, the consumer population is dispersed over a wide geographic area, transportation infrastructure is often poorly developed, and many consumers have sporadic and extremely low incomes. This paper examines these challenges from a marketing channel perspective. The fundamental question is: How can companies entering into rural emerging markets design a marketing channel strategy that meets the needs of customers and allows for the long-term profitable success of the business? I begin answering this question by examining common challenges that companies operating in this environment face. Each challenge is accompanied by examples of companies that have solved the problem in a unique way. Then, I develop a generalized framework for designing marketing channels in rural emerging markets. Finally, I apply the framework to d.light Design, a company that manufactures and sells solar lanterns in India and Africa and that I worked...

Words: 17572 - Pages: 71

Premium Essay

Jamie Turner at Mli Case Study Analysis

...Turner had found the older man smart, friendly, even charismatic. Cardullo had offered him a free hand in reorganizing the marketing area, and had all but guaranteed that Turner would take over as president within two years. Before long, however, things began to go wrong: Cardullo started to seem distant and critical, and he intervened frequently in marketing decisions, sometimes undermining or even reversing Turner’s decisions. The turnaround Cardullo was attempting to engineer at MLI had stalled, sales were again declining, and things in general were rapidly deteriorating. Turner didn’t know whether to be happy or anxious—or both— when Alan Oliver, the CEO of MLI’s parent company, announced that he would fly in the following week to review the situation. Turner thought it was critical to resolve his differences with Cardullo before Oliver arrived. Hoping to talk things out, he had asked Cardullo to join him for drinks after work, and then for lunch each of the next two days—but Cardullo declined all three...

Words: 5522 - Pages: 23