The Martyred: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Martyred: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex relationships and moral dilemmas faced by individuals during the Korean War, particularly focusing on fourteen Christian ministers persecuted by the Communist regime. Captain Lee, an atheist history instructor turned Army Political Intelligence officer, seeks the truth about the ministers' fate after the United Nations forces liberate Pyongyang. His interviews with Mr. Shin, a surviving clergyman, reveal the profound struggles of faith and betrayal, as Shin grapples with his own loss of belief while striving to give hope to the community.
Indoe Park, Lee's friend and a Marine, faces his own demons as he confronts the legacy of his father, one of the executed ministers, and seeks reconciliation with his past. Meanwhile, Colonel Chang represents a pragmatic yet cynical approach to truth, prioritizing propaganda over genuine understanding. Other characters like Chaplain Koh and Major Minn embody themes of sacrifice and moral conviction, navigating their roles amid the chaos. In this analysis, characters are depicted as multidimensional figures, each wrestling with their beliefs and the impact of their choices on those around them during a tumultuous historical moment.
The Martyred: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Richard E. Kim
First published: 1964
Genre: Novel
Locale: Korea
Plot: Existentialism
Time: June, 1950-May, 1951
Captain Lee, a history instructor at a Seoul university who joins the Korean army after the Communist invasion of Seoul. When United Nations forces conquer the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, Lee is sent there with Army Political Intelligence to discover what really happened to fourteen Christian ministers arrested by the Communist secret police. A detached, intellectual observer, he interviews Mr. Shin, one of the two surviving clergymen, to determine the truth. Lee, whose parents were Christian, is an atheist who believes only in truth. Unlike his commander, Colonel Chang, he resists shaping the truth to serve a purpose. Gradually, he becomes Mr. Shin's ally and protector.
Mr. Shin, one of the fourteen Christian ministers imprisoned by the Communists a week before the Korean War began. Colonel Chang suspects Shin of betraying his fellow ministers in exchange for his life. Although Shin denies that he saw the twelve murdered ministers after their arrest, he was in fact present at their death. When the investigation uncovers conflicting evidence, Shin says that he is guarding truth that others may not want to hear. He lies about the details of the ministers' deaths and the fact that some weakened under torture and betrayed the others because he believes that the persecuted Christians of Pyongyang need to believe in this martyrdom. Like Lee, Shin can no longer believe in God, but he loves his people. Although he is innocent, he identifies himself as a traitor and praises the martyrs' courage. He bears his loss of faith silently. Shin sacrifices himself for those who need the hope he gives them. He ignores his own fragile health to help incoming refugees, refusing to flee the city when the United Nations troops withdraw. After he is presumed dead, strange stories are told of his appearance in many provinces of Korea.
Indoe Park, Lee's friend and fellow history instructor, now a Marine. Ten years ago, Park abandoned his boyhood Christianity; his father, the minister of Pyongyang's Central Presbyterian Church, disowned him. The father was one of the twelve executed ministers. Park has been sent to Pyongyang to represent the families of the victims at a memorial service, but he has really come to see Shin. In spite of his anger at his father's fanaticism, Park hopes to discover that his father weakened and had doubts, as he does. Shin tells him the truth, that at the end his father refused to pray to an unjust God. Shin also asks Park to pretend to believe for the sake of the suffering people. Park offers himself as the returning prodigal son that the church elders need. When he dies in battle, he is given a Christian burial.
Colonel Chang, the chief of Army Political Intelligence and Lee's commanding officer. A cynic, Chang wants to exploit the murdered churchmen for propaganda purposes. He argues that truth can be buried and still be the truth. Lee, Shin, Park, and Chaplain Koh resist him. Requesting another assignment, Chang goes underground to establish an intelligence network before the Chinese Communists can attack Pyongyang. He arranges for newspaper articles praising the martyrs, telling people what he thinks is necessary for them to know. There is kindness in his intentions, even though he does not seem to understand the notion of sacrifice for others. Chang dies heroically in a raid, leaving behind money to buy Bibles for the refugees.
Chaplain Koh, now a military man but previously a Pyongyang minister who disappeared abruptly. He is thought to be a Communist informer, but people do not see him clearly. He is no coward, having worked for Chang before he was kidnapped for his own safety. One of his parishioners was the informer, but Koh protects the informer's memory for the sake of the man's father. Koh is asked to return to his church and is forgiven. When he learns of the United Nations retreat, he refuses to go south to Seoul, choosing to resign from the Army rather than leave Pyongyang. He will not betray the faith of his parishioners, and he risks his life to help refugees. Eventually, his followers smuggle him out of the city. In the South, he leads a church in a crowded refugee camp.
Major Minn, a Korean army doctor who cannot bring himself to abandon his dying patients during the retreat from Pyongyang. He is not trying to be brave, he says, just decent. His fate is unknown.
Mr. Hann, the other surviving minister, a young friend of Mr. Shin. He is an innocent who goes mad after Shin confesses his own lack of belief in God.