28th Annual Student Research Conference
Familial Roles as a Post-Structuralist Device in Please Look After Mom
Olivia R. Muegge
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
The novel Please Look After Mom by Kyung Sook Shin centers around the disappearance of Mom So-Nyo and the family's ongoing search for their mother. The novel is told from the perspectives of the husband, daughter, son, and So-Nyo herself. So-Nyo sacrifices her inner desires and dedicates her life to her family. She molds herself to fit into the traditional role of mother, making Mom her identity for most of her life; until the conclusion of the novel. This paper will take a post-structuralist view on the novel, and explore how the characters reject structure. I will show how the members within the family reject the roles they are placed in, and how So-Nyo comes to rebel against her mother role. The paper will also explore the study of how gaps between a family can be built when placed within roles.
Keywords: Mom, post-structuralist, role , Please Look After Mom , Kyung-Sook Shin
Topic(s):English
Asian Studies
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 202-2
Location: VH 1010
Time: 11:15