Amidst the atrocities and times of war, friendship can still bloom between the opposite sides of the conflict. “Cranes,” written by Hwang Sun-won, is a story which was themed upon this idea. The story is about the fate of the two men, named Song-sam and Tok-chae, who had lived in the 38th parallel, or the boundary between the North and South Korea. Song-sam and Tok-chae lived in the opposite sides of Korea, but the 38th parallel made it possible to build their friendship during their childhood days. The story implied that the 38th parallel, especially the neutral place where the cranes nest, will always be available to rekindle and continue their friendship, despite the conflicts happening between their respective countries (Lee 90-95).
The story can be considered as a reflection of the Korean War during the 1950s. Moreover, the story focuses on the more complicated area of the 38th parallel, wherein the boundary of the two country lies. Here, any ideological conflicts between the North and South Korea were evidenced by the remnants of war present there. The destruction of the place proved to be a severe case, as the author described the condition of the place (Lee 91).
As for the author, Hwang Sun-won is a literary writer who focuses on writing short stories. He was born during the colonial period of the Japanese in Korea, and he personally experienced oppressions and states of colonialism (Im 151). As such, these experiences can be reflected upon his literary piece “Crane.” However, it can be seen from the story that there is still the other side of the war and atrocities; that positive events happen somewhere within the battlefield. “Cranes” only tell that friendship passes through the origins of the persons involved, as seen with Song-sam and Tok-chae. Hwang significantly expressed this importance into his audiences through the odds experienced by the two characters. This can be seen in the event where Song-sam invited Tok-chae to hunt cranes, like the way they used to do in childhood. In the story, despite the differences and their status in society, despite the one being an officer, and the other one being a prisoner (Lee 90).
Moreover, the inclusion of cranes in the story signifies freedom. Freedom here is not the typical freedom from physical ruling of one dominant force to its territory. Rather, this is a freedom the restrains of complicated chains, wherein simple relationships are not allowed. In other words, the cranes symbolized the freedom from military commitment, from the rules of war, and the roles of a protector and a prisoner. In friendship, such things does not really matter. A true friendship soars above these kinds of duties or responsibilities. A true friendship does not really need a background check. The most important thing is what the people feel about his or her friends. The strengths and weakness of a person should be set aside, just as what the two characters have shown in the story.
“Cranes” can be considered as a light short story, but gives deeper meaning of friendship. The story does not take such relationships for granted; the author has expressed during the ironic times of war. The author has given hope to the audiences, and implied that there is nothing wrong about friendship, even the odds are against the two people. The feelings should be given more importance, and above all, this should prevail above all ideologies and other kinds of non-social ties, such as the political and military relationships. Every conflict will give way to true friendship, regardless of status and power.
Works Cited
Im, Hong-yon. Who's Who in Korean Literature. Seoul: Hollym, 1996. Print.
Lee, Peter. Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology. Honolulu: U of Hawaii, 1990. Print.
