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Foreignness and the "Other"
North Korean characters in The Orphan Master's Son often respond to foreign cultures with extreme distrust, fueled by the propaganda fed to them through loudspeakers that are hooked up in everyone's houses. When experience teaches these characters that not all is as it seems, the world opens up for them in sometimes frightening ways. In fact, the realization that the world is not the place they were taught has catastrophic consequences for many of these characters.
Americans have more accurate information about the world—and yet there are hints that they haven't cornered the market on truth, either. Johnson likes to make fun of his American characters, too. For example, they characterize the people of most of the developing world as "dog-eaters" and thinking that they can fix everything with military power, a good chat, or Jesus.
Still, Jun Do finds emotional depth and compassion in the Americans he meets, and there's an openness about them that is totally captivating for him. It's no coincidence that his desire for emotional intimacy happens after his visit to the U.S.—that is, after his first real encounter with the Other.
Jun Do's perception of Japan and its citizens stems from his own sense of depravation rather than from his direct experience of the place.
Dr. Song's interpretation of American political behavior is included to point out American failings rather than to highlight willful manipulation of facts on the part of the North Koreans.
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