Gathering of Pearls, written by Sook Nyul Choi, tells a story about a North Korean girl goes aboard to take college in America. The girl calls Sookan, and she changes a lot during her college life and solves many problems. It’s a book reminds me my own experiences in America for high school. However, the cover of the books, which has a picture of a serious girl picks up pearls on the floor, makes me interested. I have wondered the when a read the first few chapters of the book, but I soon understand it when I see the chapters Sister Reed gives her the pearl necklace and the chapter she accidentally breaks the necklace. The pearls that Sookan gathers on the cover image represent her gathering of friends, experiences and personal growth; the precious pearls show the precious changes that she has gained by studying aboard.
First of all, about her friends, she has two good friends, Marci and Ellen. They have different personalities but both help her a lot. Ellen’s her roommate and she’s much more outgoing than Marci. She’s the first person in America brings Sookan lots of warmth. She makes Sookan feels her friendly and her kindness. She's kind of talktive and she likes to have conversation with Sookan. When she first meets Sookan, she says, "I've been waiting for her so long. Sookan, sit with me. I'm so glad you are finally here." (P. 8) It shows Ellen's passion. Marci is a shy girl, but she cares about Sookan; when she notice Sookan hasn’t have any lunch, she would bring food to her. Both of them are great friends for Sookan, but it doesn’t means Sookan doesn’t have other friends. She gathers other friends by being the only international students in the whole college. She’s so special and all her teachers and classmates like her and recommend her ability. The friendships she has gathered are truly precious of her life; the friendship is a lifetime wealth. Those friend would help her determines many decisions and help her to determine her life.
For the experiences she gathers, Sookan is so hard working to work and to learn. She seems like a sponge, tries extremely hard to make her full fills. Even Sister Reed wants her to get some rest because of the busy work she has. Nonetheless the works are difficult, and she spends too many times on European history, she still got excellent grade and makes the teachers proud of her. On the other hand, Ellen continues asking Sookan to go to mixer, dance balls and other community activities with her. Even though she doesn’t usually have time to go with Ellen, she finally decides to go to dance with Tome, who is Kyle’s roommate. She changes a lot in those experiences. She has been a hardworking student since she started her college life, and she finally learns to enjoy her life. It doesn’t mean she’s not diligent anymore; it just makes me feel happy for her. Also, her experience could help her in her later life and she can learn a way better to live.
After that, her personal growth is also a significant point that she gathers. She becomes more brave, more outgoing and she studies how to decide her life. There have been many changes in her personality. For example, in the beginning of the book, she doesn’t want to wear the “crispy” (P 7) hanbok, but “I sighed, but got myself ready in a hurry”(p7). She cannot say no to the elders and even her friends. She listens to her sister and she must obey her sister in her perspective. When Marci asks if Sookan really wants to share the journal with her sister, Sookan says, “Well, she asked me to, and she is my older sister. She says she doesn’t want us grow apart.” (P 25) An idea of obeying her sister is taking roots in her mind. However, during the year, she learns that her sister isn’t always right and she kinds of blame her sister because of her misunderstanding. When her mother has died, she knows that everyone has their thinking in their lives, and she should be respectful to the different ideals in other’s mind. She grows from blindly obeying others to thinking of herself and lastly become a girl who understands others and accepts her own ideas. Thus, the growth she gathers makes her to a great person, who’s respectful, independent and strong-minded.
To conclude, she changes a lot in only one-year college life, and she might be better and better in her later life. Even though Sookan faces many difficulties in her year, as her mother says in the last chapter of the book, “Tough times are the times when one gather one’s pearls.” She’s getting better and better in the tough time and she would finally gain her gorgeous pearls as the cover of the book shows. I wish her life would be the pearls that she gathers in the cover of the book, and being fulfilling, precious and beautiful.
Citation
Choi, Sook Nyul., and Sook Nyul. Choi. Gathering of Pearls. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.
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