20th Century Korean Literature

 Kang’s first work, “Broken Strings,” reveals the concerns and inclinations that would come to characterize her writing. The main character Hyeong-cheol stands at a crossroads: take the well-trodden path down which his future is guaranteed, or stand with the masses and fight society. After agonizing over this choice, he throws everything away and leaves for Manchuria. With its cast of characters who sacrifice their youth in Gando to devote themselves to the people’s struggle, this story demonstrates Kang’s sense of duty as a writer who wanted to change the world. The stories published after “Broken Strings”—“Salt,” “Mother and Child,” “Suffering,” and “Darkness”—were likewise set in Gando and reflect her revolutionary yearnings.