"Cranes"

Title:"Cranes"

Author:Hwang Sun-Won

Nationality:Korean

Genre:Short story

LITERARY TERMS

Characters
Songsam- loyal to South Korea
Tokchae- loyal to North Korea

Setting
the 38th Parallel divides North and South Korea; it is a time of war for the countries

Themes
a)war forces people to choose sides
b)friendships can overcome conflicts that may seem impossible

symbol
a) Crane- Songsam's loyalty to his friend; the personal sacrifice Songsam makes when he chooses his friend over his country; the strength of a true friendship

external Conflict
war between North & South Korea; conflict between Tokchae & Songsam as they support different sides

internal Conflict
Songsam has to choose between loyalty to his friend or country; he chooses his country

flashback
the story is told with a series of flashbacks inserted as the main character thinks back to his childhoos; memories of climbing the tree and catching cranes as children reminds Songsam of the importance of friendship & causes him to let Tokchae go. Back to main page