Book Commentary: Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun; translated by Shanna Tan
Themes:
Overlap of themes across the world and the Korean society
Bullying, abuse, (childhood) trauma, social media, infidelity.
Other global themes
Life and emotions, mindset and perception, navigating through life’s challenges.
Unique to Korean society
Pressure to do well in life (yardstick being what is set by society or wanting to be on par with other family members).
Synopsis:
Set in the beautiful village of Marigold, Jieun has the magical ability to help others confront their trauma, or remove ‘stains in their heart’. The process involves a visit to Jieun’s laundromat, popping a special T-shirt over, focusing on the difficult memories that will eventually stain the T-shirt and then putting it through the wash would free the person of their painful past. Jieun appears as though she is the saviour who helps others get through difficulties. However, she herself is trying to grapple with her own challenges.
Commentary:
The story follows five individuals who seek Jieun’s help. Whilst she has the ability to help others through their pain, Jieun herself is trying to cope with her own struggles.
For me, the two stories that really struck out are - Eunbyul, a social media influencer and Yeonghui, a man who was bullied as a teenager.
Eunbyul is a social media influencer. Her life seems like a bed of roses, but she grew up with little and difficult family circumstances. Her rise to stardom comes at the expense of her studies, though she is now able to provide for her family. She may have fame and wealth, but deep down, she is lonely. It seems that no matter how much she gives, it is never enough for her family who keeps demanding more from her. Afraid of losing them, she would work herself to her bones to fulfil their demands. She finds herself battling lawsuits after (unknowingly) promoting a product with harmful ingredients.
From reading Eunbyul’s story, I get the impression that being a ‘celebrity influencer’ or ‘social media influencer’ seems like a lot of work, perhaps even more than actors. There are so many layers that have to be thought through such as - sponsorship deals, posts, photos, videos, reels, likes, Insta-lives, adverts. The list goes on. I can see why she is physically and mentally exhausted. More than that, the concept of privacy is non-existent especially when all aspects of Eunbyul’s life are out for the world to see. She has many followers, and receives attention from people online, and yet, she is lonely. Perhaps the attention is not really attention, but surveillance. To me, this particular story is worthy to delve into deeper, especially with the recent global proliferation of social media the world has seen. This,coupled with the introduction of IT literacy to the younger generation, including children is something to be mulled over.
Some of the quotes that I really liked from Eunbyul’s story are as follows:
‘You smile when you are with people who smile, and cry when you are with people who cry.’
‘That most people choose to bottle up their feelings, not knowing that the wounds would fester in their hearts, that they would suffer. So many went about their lives unaware that if only the biggest pains in them were soothed, then life would be so much better.’
‘Apologise if it’s your fault, and when someone makes a mistake, accept their apology and be understanding. If you can’t forgive them, then just accept that whatever’s happened is already in the past. Life can’t be easy all the time. We lose our way, go through rough patches, stumble and fail. But we dust ourselves off and get up.’
‘Learn to live for yourself, not for anyone else.’
‘Also, no relationship is worth protecting to the extent that you lose yourself. Even if they’re family or the love of your life.’
These quotes revolve around boundaries, being true to oneself, speaking up and being kind to all including oneself.
Yeonghui comes from a good family of overachievers. However, he has a very troubled past. Once a victim of severe bullying in school, he chooses to move to a different town (Marigold), to start afresh and ends up working as a delivery driver. The trauma from the bullying still haunts him.
Yeonghui’s story captures how bullying can really stain someone’s life for a long time. It is hard not to feel upset reading Yeonghui’s story. Some readers may know that violence and bullying is rampant like an infectious disease in South Korea today. The Netflix hit series, ‘The Glory’ gives an insight into the degree of bullying in South Korea. It also depicts a scene based on true events that had happened in 2006. A recent article by Dr Scott Harrison (2023) states that bullying and violence in South Korea schools have become so serious that there are talks to create a national institution to support the victims' recovery. Additionally, it was reported in the article that verbal violence accounted for 42% of all school violence and 13.3% for physical bullying in 2022. As a means of deterrent, college applications from 2024 will include a student’s history of bullying or school violence.
The thing about bullying that is not mentioned in the book is that it does not just exist at school. It is also something that can happen beyond schooling life (e.g. at the workplace).
To put a close to Yeonghui’s story, these are some quotes I had underlined:
‘Indeed, seeing something from the outside was completely different from experiencing it himself.’
‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we could forecast the weather in our lives, too?’
‘If only it were possible to know ahead of time that once we’ve battled through the bout of bad weather, we can look forward to enjoying the perfect skies for a while.’
‘Be it criticisms or even insults, I don’t have to accept them. The same way we reject a parcel or return it, I can say no to humiliation and bullying - whether it’s how people make me feel, what they say to me, or what they used to do to me. If I don’t take it, then it isn’t mine. So, what I’m saying is, if someone dislikes or even hates you, don’t embrace those feelings and pain. Give them back. By doing so, the pain won’t become yours. It’ll rebound back to the person. Don’t clog your heart with negativity. Reject abuse. You have the right to do so.’
No matter what life throws at you, these quotes speak about perception, hope, empowerment, and strength.
Finally, Jieun works through her own challenges by allowing herself to feel a sense of belonging with others in her community. They are not her blood relatives, but still a family to her. She understands that it is okay to be kind to herself.