Manaloto, Altea Venize L.

BSENT 1-2

Almond

Sohn Won-pyung, the film's director and screenwriter, has created a soft exploration

of adolescence, an issue that is complicated here by unusual events. This is one of

those books that carefully balances young adult and adult fiction. The goal of

Won-pyung Sohn's novel "Almond" is to explore themes of empathy, human

connection, and how complicated the human experience is through the eyes of a

protagonist with a rare condition: congenital-insensitivity to pain. The novel's goal is

to produce thoughtful reflection from readers about the nature of empathy, the role of

pain in shaping human relationships, and societal expectations about weakness. It

provides readers with a detailed and thought-provoking examination of the basics of

the human condition.

Won-pyung Sohn's novel "Almond" is a work of contemporary fiction with elements of

drama and psychological exploration. The plot revolves around Yunjae, a protagonist

with congenital pain sensitivity, and explores themes of empathy, human connection,

and societal expectations. It follows Yunjae on his journey of self-discovery and

understanding. The novel premise of Yunjae's inability to feel physical pain adds a

unique layer to the story, inviting readers to explore the nature of human experience.

The novel is famous for its reflective narrative, which looks into each aspect of

Yunjae's experiences and relationships.

Yunjae was born with Alexithymia, a brain condition that makes it difficult for him to

feel emotions such as fear or anger. He has no friends, but his devoted mother and

grandmother have no trouble with his condition. Their tiny apartment above his

mother's used bookstore is filled with colorful post-it notes that remind him to smile,
say "thank you," and laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, in this quiet,

peaceful environment with his small family.

Then, on Yunjae's sixteenth birthday, everything changes. His world gets destroyed

by a shocking act of random violence, leaving him alone and on his own. Yunjae

goes into silent isolation as he struggles to cope with his loss, until troubled

adolescent Goni arrives at his school and begins to bully Yunjae.

Against all odds, Gon and victim Yunjae have more in common than they thought.

Gon is perplexed by Yunjae's unbroken calm, while Yunjae believes that if he gets to

know the aggressive Gon, he will learn how to feel true emotions. He is so certain of

this that he is willing to risk his life to defend him, because, as P.J Nolan once said,

"there is no one who cannot be saved." There are only people who give up," and

Yunjae believes Goni is similar to Nolan, though he also believes he is similar to

Nolan at times. Curiosity brings the two together, and they form an unexpected

friendship. However, Goni is a good boy in Yunjae's eyes, even if he does bad

things.

These are the characters' roles in the novel.

Yunjae, the novel's protagonist, has a congenital insensitivity to pain. His special

condition shapes the story and serves as a metaphor for social standards. After

Yunjae's father dies, Mom moves in with Granny, unable to care for Yunjae on her

own. She works tirelessly on his emotional education, determined to show him what

it means to be normal. Yunjae doesn't care if he's normal or not, even though he

knows it's important to his mother.

Yunjae's mother truly loved and cared for Yunjae, and spent as much time as she

could with him despite managing a small secondhand bookstore and not earning

much money. What my concern was how her concern about Yunjae's inability to
express emotions, particularly reflex emotions like fear, turned into her fear that

something was 'wrong' with her child, which she didn't like. Of course, this could be a

lot of my own interpretation, but that is how I felt.

Yunjae's grandmother was one of the book's best characters. Yunjae had a special

place in his heart for her. Unlike Yunjae's mother, she didn't care what other children

or adults thought of her grandson; she loved him more than anything. I also liked

how, at the beginning of the novel, when she first met him, she called him a little

monster in an endearing way—probably so that if cruel individuals said it later in his

life, he wouldn't think it was something negative.

My favorite part of the book was reading the story from Yunjae's point of view. It had

the innocence of a child/young boy, but also the innocence of someone who isn't in

touch with their emotions. This, in my opinion, defines his point of view, especially as

we see him grow and change throughout the novel. The main character went

through tragedies, adolescence, met new people, discovered and learned new

things, and so on. As I read the story, I realize Yunjae is capable of feeling emotions;

he just doesn't recognize them. I believe the author did an excellent job of conveying

this condition and making it acceptable for the readers.

I learned in this book that everyone shows love in their own special way. Based on

the book, Yunjae's mother makes notes on how Yunjae should react to someone's

actions. His mother teaches him how to react, saying that she did so out of love.

However, he questions whether her actions are what love is. Yunjae then thinks on

the meaning of love. Is it possible to define love? How does love show itself?

because it made me think about how we treat those around us. We label our actions,

but these labels may or may not correspond to our actions. The novel encourages

readers to connect with people who have different views on life. Yunjae's condition
inspires thought about how to understand and connect with others despite

differences in perception and experience.

Almond, on the other hand, is an intriguing story told through the eyes of a teenager

who sees life as something to be studied rather than lived. Yunjae, on the other

hand, isn't stupid, and he realizes that the 'lessons' he endures aren't solely for his

benefit.

Almond is a reflection on what life is and how, as we grow older, our perspective on it

and on ourselves changes. We tend to believe that there is a single essence that

defines us as people, made up of both our virtues and weaknesses, but we forget

that both this essence and our reality can be transformed in an instant. Sometimes

we want it to happen, and other times it just happens. Almond serves the speed with

which life mutates us, making us both as bad nor as good as those who judge us

would have us believe.

The novel leaves readers with a sense of reflection, encouraging them to relate with

those whose experiences are unlike their own. It challenges beliefs about pain and

danger while celebrating the beauty found in embracing one's individuality.

To sum up, almond was a truly beautiful book that explored sudden change,

emotions, relationships, and the general movement of life.