How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
"Where we are from," [Dr. Song] said, "stories are factual. If a farmer is declared a music virtuoso by the state, everyone had better start calling him maestro. And secretly, he'd be wise to start practicing the piano. For us, the story is more important than the man. If a man and his story are in conflict, it is the man who must change." (121-122).
Dr. Song approaches the subject of propaganda with an openness that is surprising. It's clear that survival in North Korea depends on adaptability—or the ability to abandon the self at the drop of a hat.
Quote #5
"If the Americans use their senses and keep their heads level," Dr. Song said, "then no tiger story will fool them. They will taste that this is cow. But if the Americans are just toying with us, if they don't plan on seeking the facts and negotiating seriously, then they will taste tiger." (123)
Ironically, Dr. Song has already interpreted the tiger meat in more than one way. On the one hand, receiving the meat of an endangered species will make the Americans feel like they have the moral high ground. On the other, it will force the Americans to make a decision: will they be diplomatic, or will they call the North Koreans' bluff? We can't help thinking of Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger." We're betting Johnson was thinking of it, too, when he thought this up.
Quote #6
Mongnan pressed a button and when the flash went off, everything seemed different. He was on the other side of the bright light now, and that's where all the bloodless people on the cots were—on the other side of her flash. (174)
Mongnan's intake process for the unfortunate prisoners of Prison 33 reminds us of cultures in which photography is taboo because there is a fear that it will take your personal identity and not just your image. This is the moment when Jun Do as we've known him ceases to exist. Once he becomes part of Mongnan's files, he's part of the nameless and forgotten prisoners who will spend their last moments bleeding into a blood collection bag.