Han Kang is the first Asian female writer to win both the International Booker Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her works profoundly reveal the tragic living conditions of women under the violence of a patriarchal society. Han Kang's literary reflections consistently revolve around the ethical questions of life, with her works not limited to critiquing specific social issues but also addressing the universal meaning of existence. This paper focuses on interpreting Han Kang's first short story collection, The Love of Yeosu. The commonality among the main characters in these stories lies in their nearly tragic fates—unable to escape life's predicaments due to an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, they gradually move toward destruction, embodying the archetype of Icarus-like figures. In The Love of Yeosu, the tragedies of the characters often stem from the sins of "fathers"—violence. Violence grows wildly like weeds, layer upon layer, devouring the vitality of living individuals. Deleuze, in his book Difference and Repetition, distinguishes between repetition and generality, emphasizing that repetition is built on the foundation of difference, focusing more on the ethical value of life concealed behind actions imbued with difference. Although Han Kang's characters are trapped in similar fates, their inner feelings and behavioral choices manifest what Deleuze terms "repetition with difference." This paper intends to adopt Deleuze's concept of "repetition," focusing on the recurring Icarus-like figures in The Love of Yeosu, and explores the ethical undertones of Han Kang's fiction from three perspectives: the loss of difference, the possibility of choice, and the vitality of repetition.

Homologous Violence and the Loss of Difference

The discussion centers on the sense of powerlessness and resignation to fate experienced by the characters in The Love of Yeosu, which often originates from violence. Through her works, Han Kang reflects her perception of South Korea's power structures, exposing the pervasiveness of violence. The violent father figures in her works symbolize the power order of South Korean society, embodying the collusion of patriarchy, military regimes, capitalism, and globalization. The suffering endured by the characters is homologous rather than accidental or isolated. Han Kang aims to highlight individual pain and the adversarial relationship between individuals and fate. For example, in Red Anchor, the story of two brothers illustrates the tragedy of characters under the influence of violence. The backlash of violent memories on individuals intensifies the tragic nature of the characters. Han Kang makes the intergenerational trauma of South Korean society visible, further exploring the deep-rooted origins of violence in human society and pointing out that the essence of violence lies in the erasure of existential difference. Deleuze's concept of "generality" carries a violent attribute, a destructive force that stifles difference. This "generality" stands in stark contrast to "repetition," which contains irreplaceability. In Speeding, the protagonist In-gyu's younger brother Jin-gyu is bullied to death due to his intellectual disability, and his stepfather views him as a replaceable existence. However, the mother's memories of Jin-gyu allow the deceased to regain vitality in the recollections of loved ones, reconstructing the broken emotional bond between her and In-gyu. Through depicting the violence experienced by individuals, Han Kang exposes the societal malaise shrouded in the violence of sameness, arguing that the loss of individual existential difference ultimately leads to the exhaustion of vitality. Only by reclaiming the "difference" of individuals can a way to resist homologous violence be found at the level of ethical relationships.

Paired Characters and Different Choices

In The Love of Yeosu, characters appear in pairs, forming a relationship of "observer and observed." Through each other's pain, they deconstruct themselves anew and establish connections to life. Jeong-hwan and Hwang are bound by shared suffering, with the azalea flower becoming a symbol of their emotional bond. In the face of adversity, Young-jin chooses to reject the gift from the older man to preserve the life of the other, embodying an individual's ethical choice regarding the mode of existence. Through these stories, Han Kang explores the fundamental choices of life, inviting readers to reflect on the ethical responsibilities of individuals in desperate situations.

Departing Together and the Life Ethics of Repetition

This section analyzes the tragic fates and acts of departing together by characters in Han Kang's story collection The Love of Yeosu, examining the life ethics behind these actions. While Gong In-sun views the work as imbued with tragedy, this paper argues that the characters find hope in companionship. In The Love of Yeosu, the relationship between Jeong-seon and Ja-hee illustrates the possibility of departure as an active choice. Jeong-seon's eventual journey to Yeosu symbolizes resistance to the past and the reclamation of life's courage. In Night Train, the act of Young-hyun and Dong-jin departing together emphasizes the importance of action and the return to life's ethics. Deleuze's theory of "repetition" is employed to explain the generative and creative nature of the characters' behaviors, highlighting the dynamic force and value of life within repetition. Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence is used to illustrate the dynamic nature of repetition and the significance of life experiences. Through depicting the different choices of Icarus-like figures, Han Kang showcases the resilience and possibilities of life. By portraying mutual redemption among characters and the construction of new emotional bonds, she reveals the life-ethical meaning of repetition.