OVERVIEW
My interest in this moving literary piece, Human Acts, was aroused by the fact that the author, Han Kang, received the Nobel Prize last year and that South Korea has had a period of dictatorship in its history, of which I was unaware. Furthermore, after reading the book, I discovered the powerful and relatable symbols and motifs of human suffering, violence, and traumatic memory. In this write-up, these symbols and motifs will be cogently and insightfully explored.
SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS
The following are the symbols and motifs in Han Kang's Human Acts:
- BODY
In the book, human body is portrayed as a significant motif. It is a source of constant reminder of atrocities perpetrated during the Gwangju uprising. In the opening chapter of the novel, Dong-ho is shown getting for the bodies of those killed by the government soldiers. This plot point delineates corpses as silent witness of state brutality. Similarly, in the following chapter, bodies are jettisoned in a lot where they decay in the most gruesome manner imaginable. Some with their faces grotesquetly disfigured, owimg to getting stacked into large piles. This highlights the symbol of systematic dehumanization of victims.
Han Kang's vivid descriptions of physical wounds, torn flesh, and exposed bones, make the audience wince and deeply sad. Through this imagery, the author makes violence ridiculously tangible. In the book, despite his revulsion, Dong-ho tends to the body of a woman whose face and torso have been slashed open by a bayonet, revealing raw flesh beneath the skin. This image re-emerges in the Epilogue, when the author comes across a photograph of a similar body. This moment leaves the author with a deep psychological scar.
Furthermore, the bodies of the perpetrators like soldiers and police officers, are significantly absent from the narrative. This absence shows the imbalance of power and intensifies the fact that violence is faced almost exclusively by the victims whose humanity is erased.
- FIRE
In Human Acts, fire furnishes a recurrent and profoundly contradictory motif. It signifies both the destructive power of state violence and the frailty of human life. Dong-ho compares the souls of the deceased to candle flames, which are delicate but radiant in their vivid orange glow. In addition to masking the smell of decay, Dong-ho honours each individual life lost by placing candles at the heads of the coffins.
On the other hand, fire also symbolizes the harsh methods of control used by the government. Soldiers use flamethrowers against civilians during the rebellion, turning both bodies and buildings to ashes. When Eun-sook receives censored proofs that are so heavily blacked out that they resemble burned pages, the motif reappears.
Fire is further reinforced as an all-consuming force of annihilation by the recurring images of bodies burned in mass graves. Han Kang conveys the dual nature of fire, as a tool of complete devastation as well as a symbol of human essence, through this motif.
- THE PHOTOGRAPH OF CHUN DOO-HWAN
The image shows how bureaucratic power can mask accountability for widespread violence and represents the gap between political authority and human suffering. It also makes reference to the Gwangju Uprising's unresolved legacy by reminding readers that many of its perpetrators were not held accountable. As a result, the image comes to represent both trauma and South Korea's continuous fight for justice.
The photograph of dictator Chun Doo-hwan appears frequently and serves as a powerful representation of repression and state authority. Eun-sook is startled by the ordinary appearance of his face when she sees his picture in the censor's office, which stands in stark contrast to the extraordinary acts of violence committed under his control.
In a similar vein, after Dong-ho's arrest, her mother destroys a picture of Chun Doo-hwan, turning it into a symbol of sorrow and defiance.
- MEMORY AND TRAUMA
Memory and trauma are central to Human Acts. Han Kang explores how experiences of extreme violence change the mind, leaving survivors stuck in cycles of memory and pain. Characters relive the uprising long after it has ended. For example, Dong-ho’s mother believes she sees her son decades after his death. She cannot let go of the pain of her loss. Similarly, Seon-ju’s memories of torture and sexual violence keep her from feeling safe in intimate relationships. This shows how trauma changes both memory and desire.
The novel’s fragmented and multivocal structure reflects the disrupted nature of traumatic memory. Each chapter offers a different perspective, and the narrative shifts back and forth in time using flashbacks and recollections. This nonlinear approach captures how trauma defies chronological order, surfacing unexpectedly and interrupting the present. Through this style, Human Acts conveys the psychological effects of violence, highlighting that trauma is not just in the past but continues to affect the present.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Human Acts uses recurring motifs such as the body, fire, photography, and memory to confront readers with the enduring impact of state violence during the Gwangju Uprising. The book ultimately demonstrates that trauma lingers in memory, shaping identities and necessitating remembrance and moral reckoning, rather than ending with death or political change through fragmented narration and haunted characters.