The Island of Sea Women

Young-sook spends a sleepless night, troubled by memories of Mi-ja. The next day, she goes to the beach to pick up trash and sees the tourist’s daughter, Clara. The teenage girl is the spitting image of her great-grandmother Mi-ja. She offers to help Young-sook with her tasks, confiding that her mother wanted her to seek the old woman out.

They begin to chat about traveling. Young-sook has relatives who now live in Los Angeles, which is where Clara and her family come from. The girl is curious about the haenyeo and wants to swim with Young-sook. She says, “Would you ever take me in the water? I’m a good swimmer. Have I told you that yet? I’m on the swim team at my school” (178).

Shortly after the war ends, the people of Jeju are hopeful about the future. Sadly, their hopes are dashed by the conflicting military and political interests jockeying for power in the area. They are caught between the local police, rebels from the mountains, a corrupt dictatorial government, and the American military. The Americans have allowed many former Japanese collaborators to remain in place to help with the transition. Sang-mun makes himself useful and becomes an American collaborator.