Cranes Questions and Answers
Cranes
The main conflict and theme in "Cranes" and its resolution
The main conflict in "Cranes" is the ideological and personal divide between two childhood friends during the Korean War. The primary theme is the power of friendship and reconciliation amidst...
Cranes
What quote supports the theme in the short story "Cranes" by Hwang Sunwon?
In "Cranes," one quote supporting the theme of war creating ideological conflicts is: "They made me vice-chairman of the league because I was one of the poorest and I was a hardworking farmer. If...
Cranes
In the story "Cranes," what do the cranes symbolize?
In "Cranes," the cranes symbolize freedom, friendship, and the triumph of love over ideological differences. The story revolves around two childhood friends, Song-sam and Tok-chae, who are now on...
Cranes
Why is Tokchae a prisoner and why doesn't he leave his father?
The first sentence of the story gives readers important setting details: The northern village at the border of the Thirty-eighth Parallel was snugly settled under the high, bright autumn sky. The...
Cranes
Compare the characters and situations of Söngsam and Tokchae in "Cranes".
In the short story "Cranes," Söngsam and Tokchae are two childhood friends who lost contact throughout the years and find themselves on the opposite sides of a conflict. The latter is a member of a...
Cranes
What do the cigarettes and chestnuts symbolize in "Cranes"?
The cigarettes represent friendship and the chestnuts represent the past. The cigarettes are symbolic of a friendship that has been broken, but it also represents a friendship that can be rekindled....
Cranes
What are the similarities and differences between Songsam and Tokchae's lives?
Songsam and Tokchae are much more alike than they are different. They were childhood friends before the civil war began ripping apart families and communities. The initial separation of...
Cranes
What are two childhood flashbacks in "Cranes"?
Two flashbacks from the boys' childhood in "Cranes" include the time they stole chestnuts together and the time they held a crane in captivity and then released it to freedom.
Cranes
What is Songsam's motive in "Cranes"?
Let us remember that this story concerns the ways in which civil war can divide families and friends. This is precisely the situation that Songsam and Tokchae find themselves in, as suddenly,...
Cranes
In "Cranes" by Hwang Sun-won, how was Songsam's childhood relationship with Tokchae?
When Tokchae and Songsam were children, they were childhood friends with each other. The story gives some small details from the characters' pasts that indicate that the two men were fairly...
Cranes
Why did Songsam return to his old village in "Cranes"?
In "Cranes," Songsam returns to his old village out of duty as a peace officer for South Korea during the Korean War. His conversation with childhood friend Tokchae, a North Korean communist farmer,...
Cranes
What influenced Song Sam to release his prisoner in "Cranes"?
The power of friendship influenced Songsam to release his prisoner in "Cranes," as his prisoner is a former friend of his.
Cranes
What are the village Elders' feelings towards Song-sam?
The village elders are somewhat uneasy about the arrival of Song-sam. This is the aftermath of a brutal war, and so they're naturally apprehensive about what will happen next. As a figure of civil...
Cranes
In "Cranes," why does Songsam untie Tokchae?
You need to analyse the role of the flashback which we are told about just before the end of the story. In this flashback, we are persented with the two men as children, and how they together...
Cranes
What does the quote "Song-sam felt his heart becoming clear from within, as if an obstruction had been removed" in...
That quote comes at about the story's halfway mark, when Songsam has started escorting his prisoner, Tokchae. Songsam and Tokchae were childhood friends before the Korean conflict forced them on...
Cranes
Where and when do the events in the story "Cranes" take place?
This story takes place in Korea and is set during the Korean War. The war began in 1950 and ended in 1953. At the end of World War II, in 1945, the Soviet Union took control of Korea north of the...
Cranes
How does Songsam's memory of Tokchae giving him chestnuts influence his decision?
Songsam's decision is related to his memory of the time Tokchae gave him chestnuts by demonstrating the power of true friendship. As a child, Tokchae proved that he was willing to sacrifice his own...
Cranes
What does the walk together reveal about Tokchae and Songsam?
Tokchae and Songsam walk together through most of the story "Cranes." The two men are on different sides of a conflict, and Tokchae is Songsam's prisoner. Songsam agrees to escort Tokchae to...
Cranes
What was Tokchae's mission for the crane league?
Unfortunately, the story does not provide an answer to this question. Tokchae has been captured, and he is being escorted by Songsam to a new location. The two men are on opposite sides of the...
Cranes
Why did the boys release the bird in the story "Cranes"?
The story "Cranes" is about two boyhood friends that have been placed on opposite sides of a violent conflict. Tok-chae has been captured and Song-sam is escorting him to a new location. As the men...
Cranes
What is Song-Sam contemplating as he enters the village?
It's been a long time since Song-sam was last in the village where he grew up. As he reenters the place he once called home all those years ago, he sees that the village isn't the same as it was...
Cranes
Are the main characters' behaviors in "Cranes" consistent with the plot?
The answer to this question is subjective, and you are welcome to go either way and defend your stance. Personally, I would to say that characters' behavior is consistent with the plot. More often...