Acts but make it Human

What do they mean when they discuss Kang’s detached style?

“Tonally, their work shares a muted detachment, which accentuates each episode of terror: The simple act of one character striking another, for example, explodes with all the repressed rage of not just one, particular society, but any experience of injustice, regardless of cultural affiliation.” – Han Kang

Kang has a rather detached tone throughout Human Acts, partially brought about by the shift in perspectives and the lack of chronological order in the novel. The lack of a ‘straight’ storyline disorients readers which limits the amount of attachment that readers can have towards characters in the novel. The timeline of Human Acts is spread over 30 years, and different chapters, or perspectives’ vary between first, second and third person.

An example of detachment is chapter 4: The Prisoner. The style of which it is written is almost matter-of-fact. The prisoner whose perspective this chapter is on is never mentioned by name, already beginning with a sense of anonymity, a lack of connection we as readers can make towards this main character. The manner in which grotesque scenes are described during his imprisonment is almost nonchalant. Pain was described in a way that made it seem like a noun on its own, rather than a feeling due to acts of torture. A motif that is apparent throughout the novel is the idea that your body does not belong to you and that it is independent of you, like it is just a shell that hosts your soul. In chapter 4 The Prisoner mentions wanting to get rid of this body after going through torture, again highlighting his sense of detachment towards his physical being. However this detached tone starts to fade away further in the chapter when he talks to the professor about his ‘friendship’ with Jin-Su, his emotions start to show through, sort of like light coming through a cracked piece of clay.