Literary Analysis Of SO Kiwon's Short Story 'The Heir'

Shafik George Tadros

9/9/15 Period 6

The Heir Literary Analysis Essay

One’s actions can greatly affect the lives of others. In SO KIWON’s short story, “The Heir”, the author demonstrates this theme through the vulnerabilities and assumptions of the characters. Sokpae is considered to be not as bright as most people because he is epileptic, Sogun is assumed to be weak because he is an orphan, and Sokhui is considered less valuable because she is a female. Their vulnerabilities determine their assumptions. When it was thought that the Jade Rings were stolen, people turned a blind eye to the heir of the grandfather and accused Sokpae of the theft. However, no one had thought to accuse anyone else other than Sokpae. They did not have any suspicions of Sokhui either because being a woman means you are unimportant.

Sogun has been named the rightful heir of his grandfather’s belongings and is welcome to do what he wants with them. Being an orphan, he has trouble fitting in with the

Sogun, Sokpae, and Sokhui all have their own weaknesses and live by them. Sogun being the heir of his grandfather’s possessions is respected well among the people. Sokpae, being an epileptic, is treated as though he has no place with the village. He is thought of as the dumbest of the village because of his condition. This is why he was accused of stealing the Jade Rings from the grandfather’s belongings. Sokhui’s reputation had been dumbed down the second she was born. Being a female in the 1910’s in Korea made Sokhui of less value to others, and therefore was given less respect. In my opinion, you should not make assumptions about other people before getting to know them. For example, though Steven Hawking was unable to move as much as the rest of us or speak, he is still one of the smartest and most extraordinary men ever conceived. One must learn about others before casting judgment upon