The Night Tiger

Choo chronicles and explores the gender divide between men and women in a sustained way throughout the narrative. The desperate secrecy that Ji Lin must maintain to cover her beloved mother’s mahjong debts is one of Ji Lin’s major motivations throughout the narrative. Choo foils Ji Lin against Shin, revealing the stark contrasts between what is socially and economically possible for men, versus that which is possible for women. Ji Lin and Shin literally come from the same family, and thus the same social conditions. They are also the same age. However, Shin has much more freedom and autonomy than his stepsister. He can pursue medical training, despite earning slightly poorer grades than Ji Lin, and he easily defies his father’s wish that he take over the family business. Shin can simply use his money to help pay for Ji Lin’s mother’s debts, while Ji Lin must obtain a job that constantly threatens to bring her social and economic ruin.

Throughout the narrative, Ji Lin is acutely aware of the injustice of the patriarchal society that oppresses and represses her, as we see in her jealousy of Shin’s position. With resilience and resourcefulness, she carves out a place for herself within her society.