“Your Paradise” by Ch’ŏngjum Yi
Reading Summary
The chapters from p. 442 to p. 511 give the answers to all questions that may appear during reading the whole story. There are three main issues in this particular reading – two letters from Sanguk to Cho and Haewon-Miyon wedding that becomes a symbol of a new hope, better future, and proof that everything can be changed for good. From the letters, the reader comprehends why Sanguk cannot accept Cho’s enthusiasm in creating a paradise for the lepers on the island. He explains that “a true paradise depends not so much on its design and how great it may appear, but more on the degree to which choices are allowed” (Yi 469) and adds that even if Cho completes the project, he cannot provide all patients with the required portion of freedom. This is what makes Sanguk sad and deserves as one of…show more content… Cho was “not trying to build a paradise for humans but for lepers” but “only tried to understand them as lepers, people who could be accepted under special conditions with certain compromises” and “didn’t try to understand them as normal people” (Yi 471). This is what was necessary for the island, and no one could grasp it. Elder Hwang offers that freedom and love are necessary for all the islanders. However, with time, Cho comes to another conclusion and proves that “without power, love and freedom are nothing but empty words” (Yi 495). This is why, at the end of the reading, the author introduces a wedding between a former leper and an ordinary worker of the island as a symbol of love (they follow their feelings), freedom (they neglect all rules and prejudices), and power (they use their own interests and prove their importance). Though it is not clear if the island may be changed dramatically or not, it is