57 pages • 1 hour read
Frances ChaIf I Had Your Face
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Wealth
Within the novel, wealth functions as a motif that emphasizes and exacerbates the polarity of the society within Seoul that the novel creates. Wealth functions as a means of access, allowing people with it to operate differently within society. It is directly tied to the concepts of rigid social hierarchies and gender inequality, two other motifs within the novel, and consistently creates conflict between the characters. The Othering of those without wealth functions to create tension and foster resentment among the characters in the novel, allowing them to explore their own personal desires and how their socio-economic status either provides them with opportunity or limits them. Othering is a type of literary trope in which people are placed into two opposing groups, the “us” and the “others.” In this case, those with wealth are socially elevated and those without it are Othered and looked down upon.
Each protagonist interacts with wealth and those who are wealthy in their own ways. Ara grew up as the daughter of two servants for a wealthy family outside of Seoul. Ara resents her parents’ reverent attitude toward their employers while simultaneously feeling guilty about being the reason her parents are unable to leave their jobs at the Hanok estate; this causes her to avoid visiting her family entirely. Kyuri’s job as a room salon girl forces her to interact with wealthy men daily; she becomes bitter as she remains stuck in her own cycle of debt at the room salon, but the wealthy men can interact with her with no repercussions. Miho, a scholarship student, befriends Ruby and Hanbin. She is reluctant to take advantage of their wealth, feeling anxious when they spend money frivolously. By the end of the novel, Miho becomes disillusioned with Hanbin and sees his wealth as an opportunity for her rather than something to be weary of. Wonna also struggles financially within the novel; both her and her husband work menial jobs and worry about how they will afford to care for their child. Wonna feels jealousy toward the women who can dress their children in lavish clothing and buy them expensive strollers.
Community
Community and the significance of belonging is an important motif that helps the protagonists grow and develop throughout the novel. Like wealth, community works and impacts each of the protagonists differently in the novel. For Ara, she finds community within the K-Pop fandom, reading news articles and comments from other fans about their favorite band Crown. Ara finds comfort within this community, using it as an anchor for her among the fears that she feels for her future and her parents’ fear of her inability to get married because she can no longer speak. Kyuri and the other room salon girls form their own community based around their shared experiences. Nami and Kyuri both came from a different kind of room salon, and their shared bond is centered around their time there. Miho’s sense of community originates from her identity as an artist. It is what allows her to befriend Ruby and Hanbin, changing her life completely. Wonna, however, differs from the other protagonists in that she does not belong to any community until the end of the novel. Wonna’s lack of community causes her to feel isolated, and with no one to talk to about her anxieties, which causes her fears and paranoia to become amplified.
At the end of the novel, all of the protagonists come together in solidarity to form their own community together as women. Despite their very different lived experiences, the women find comfort and support in each other and are able to grow as individuals. In the end, they each look forward to some aspect of the future, feeling a bit more confident about handling what is to come.
Social Hierarchies
Social hierarchies is a motif that plays a critical role in formulating each of the protagonists’ conflicts within the novel. If I Had Your Face paints Seoul as a society that is deeply divided and functions with a top-down approach, offering little social mobility. There are two main social hierarchies that the characters in the novel interact with. The first social hierarchy is the socio-economic hierarchy that favors those coming from wealthy families over those who do not have a large amount of wealth. This hierarchy functions as a means of fostering conflict between characters. For example, it is this hierarchy that causes Kyuri to become resentful and limits her ability to leave her job at the room salon.
The second social hierarchy is the gender hierarchy. The novel depicts Seoul as a deeply patriarchal society, favoring men in every aspect pertaining to upward social mobility. Each of the protagonists in the story are women, offering an intimate perspective into the different ways that gender inequality impacts women’s daily lives. Within this society that favors men, the women form their own hierarchy based upon standards of beauty formed by men. The impossible Beauty Standards that women are forced to adhere to are deeply damaging and lead the characters to question their own sense of value and worth. Kyuri and Sujin both undergo very painful and dramatic cosmetic surgeries to elevate themselves within the social hierarchy. The novel does not end with the women overcoming this obstacle, but instead, acknowledging it and finding solidarity in their shared womanhood rather than competition.
