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Lashing: Notes from a Prison Journal
The short story “Lashing” (1946), in showing conflicts among prisoners under extreme duress in jail, exposes humanity’s selfishness, which forces suffering upon others for the sake of comfort. The first-person narrator pressures an elderly man into acquiescing in receiving a physical punishment that he had wished to appeal. The narrator’s reactions after driving the elderly man to the whipping platform and hearing his screams builds extreme tension and impels readers to reflect on the ugly aspects of human character.
34 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2013
5 people want to read
About the author
Kim Dong-in
23 books4 followersKim Dong-in, born on October 2, 1900 in Pyeongyang, Pyeongannam-do was a pioneer of realism and naturalism in Modern Korean literature.
A son of a wealthy landowner, like many other young Korean intellectuals Kim took his higher education in Japan, attending the Meiji Academy in Tokyo and entering the Kawabata School of Fine Arts.[2] Kim dropped out when he decided to pursue writing as a career.[3] In 1919, Kim and other advocates for "art-for-art's-sake-literature," launched the influential but transitory journal Creation (Changjo) in Japan along with Joo Yohan, Jeon Yeongtaek, Choi Seungman, and Kim Hwan.[3] Creation took a stand against the didactic literature ("national literature" to put it another way) proposed by Yi Kwang-su,[4] In Creation[5] Kim published his debut story, “The Sorrows of the Weak” (Yakhanjaui seulpeum). In 1925, Kim published one of his most famous works, "Potato," which was a breakthrough in Korean "realist" fiction and a further salvo in his ongoing literary war with Yi Kwang-su.[6]
Kim lived an extravagant lifestyle (thanks to the inheritance received from his father) until 1930, at which point his finances began to fail. Kim's financial situation led him to depression and drug abuse.[3] Until this point, Kim had been a purist (colloquial and realistic)[4] but he now turned to popular serials, which he had previously spurned. Among these were a number of historical novels (listed below). In 1934, Kim published, somewhat ironically considering their different stances on literature, the first in-depth study of Yi Kwang-su, "A Study of Chunwon” (Chunwon yeongu); in 1935, Kim launched the monthly magazine Yadam.[3]
In 1939, still poor and now ill, Kim joined Park Yong-hui, Lim Hak-su and others in a visit to Manchuria that was sponsored by the North Chinese Imperial Army. This was clearly an act of collaboration and is regarded, even today in Korea, as a stain on his literary career.[3] In 1942, however, Kim was jailed on charges of lese-majesty against the Emperor of Japan.[3]
In 1946, after Korean liberation, Kim was critical in forming the Pan-Korea Writers Association which countered other organizations promoting proletarian literature.[3]
In the years that followed, Kim published stories, including "The Traitor” (Banyeokja, 1946) and “Man Without a Nation” (Manggugingi, 1947). These works, ironically, provided a sharp critique of Lee Gwang-su and other writers who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation.[3] On January 5, 1951, Kim died at his home in Seoul.
In 1955, the magazine World of Thoughts (Sasanggye) created the Dong-in Literary Award to commemorate Kim's literary achievements.[3]
A son of a wealthy landowner, like many other young Korean intellectuals Kim took his higher education in Japan, attending the Meiji Academy in Tokyo and entering the Kawabata School of Fine Arts.[2] Kim dropped out when he decided to pursue writing as a career.[3] In 1919, Kim and other advocates for "art-for-art's-sake-literature," launched the influential but transitory journal Creation (Changjo) in Japan along with Joo Yohan, Jeon Yeongtaek, Choi Seungman, and Kim Hwan.[3] Creation took a stand against the didactic literature ("national literature" to put it another way) proposed by Yi Kwang-su,[4] In Creation[5] Kim published his debut story, “The Sorrows of the Weak” (Yakhanjaui seulpeum). In 1925, Kim published one of his most famous works, "Potato," which was a breakthrough in Korean "realist" fiction and a further salvo in his ongoing literary war with Yi Kwang-su.[6]
Kim lived an extravagant lifestyle (thanks to the inheritance received from his father) until 1930, at which point his finances began to fail. Kim's financial situation led him to depression and drug abuse.[3] Until this point, Kim had been a purist (colloquial and realistic)[4] but he now turned to popular serials, which he had previously spurned. Among these were a number of historical novels (listed below). In 1934, Kim published, somewhat ironically considering their different stances on literature, the first in-depth study of Yi Kwang-su, "A Study of Chunwon” (Chunwon yeongu); in 1935, Kim launched the monthly magazine Yadam.[3]
In 1939, still poor and now ill, Kim joined Park Yong-hui, Lim Hak-su and others in a visit to Manchuria that was sponsored by the North Chinese Imperial Army. This was clearly an act of collaboration and is regarded, even today in Korea, as a stain on his literary career.[3] In 1942, however, Kim was jailed on charges of lese-majesty against the Emperor of Japan.[3]
In 1946, after Korean liberation, Kim was critical in forming the Pan-Korea Writers Association which countered other organizations promoting proletarian literature.[3]
In the years that followed, Kim published stories, including "The Traitor” (Banyeokja, 1946) and “Man Without a Nation” (Manggugingi, 1947). These works, ironically, provided a sharp critique of Lee Gwang-su and other writers who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation.[3] On January 5, 1951, Kim died at his home in Seoul.
In 1955, the magazine World of Thoughts (Sasanggye) created the Dong-in Literary Award to commemorate Kim's literary achievements.[3]
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