The Provincial Office (Symbol)
The Provincial Office symbolizes the citizen resistance effort in Gwangju. Provincial offices in general deal with administrative issues related to education, healthcare, and the environment. The Gwangju Provincial Office became the central hub where citizen protesters operated. There, they received the bodies of those killed by government-backed forces, attempted to keep accurate records, and assisted family members who came searching for missing relatives. In the novel, Dong-ho remembers showing up at the office and beginning to volunteer alongside Eun-sook, Seon-ju, Jin-su, and others. Even when they had to expand their operations to the gym in order to accommodate the sheer number of bodies, the Provincial Office remained in use and continued to symbolize the resistance. It was there that the citizens made their final standoff with the military. Despite the fact that some (including Dong-ho) surrendered, the military brutally quashed the uprising by killing or imprisoning those who participated.
Rainfall (Motif)
Rain falls at different parts of the novel but does not consistently represent the same emotion or circumstance. During a memorial service for those murdered by military and government forces, rain pours down over the bereaved (Chapter 1). This could symbolize emotional volatility and desolation, though some also feel comforted by the rain. A man leading the service interprets the rain as “tears shed by the souls of the departed.” But Dong-ho, on the other hand, thinks about the rain in a more literal way by focusing on the cold temperature. Overall, the rain disrupts the original plans for the funeral, which reflects the way that normal life in general has been destabilized by the recent turmoil.
Later in the novel, it rains while Seon-ju approaches the hospital to visit her old friend and mentor, the labor rights activist Seong-hee (Chapter 5). Over the years, the two fell out of contact not only because their lives took different courses, but because they fundamentally disagreed about whether Seon-ju should publicly share her traumatic experiences. However, Seon-ju decides to visit her old friend before she dies. The rain heightens the tension in this moment.
Gwangju (Symbol)
Gwangju symbolizes human cruelty everywhere. When Han Kang saw an instance of police brutality on TV in 2009, she said, "But that's Gwangju. In other words, 'Gwangju' had become another name for whatever is forcibly isolated, beaten down, and brutalized, for all that has been mutilated beyond repair" (Chapter 7). The cyclical destruction that humans are capable of appears all over the world in various forms. Han researched other historical atrocities in order to write Human Acts.
The Taegukgi and National Anthem
A country's flag and national anthem (an official song representing that country's history and traditions) symbolize nationalism. People identify with these symbols to varying degrees, and the question of who represents a nation can be seen in Human Acts. Dong-ho scrutinizes the way that citizens incorporate these nationalistic symbols in the funerals of those killed by the military "as though it wasn't the nation itself that had murdered them" (Chapter 1). Eun-sook offers a different perspective: that the generals are rebels who "seized power unlawfully," and thus don't represent the nation. These dissenting perspectives demonstrate that nationalism is not a singular and objective experience.
Candles (Symbol)
Candles symbolize the process of mourning and the imprints of departed people's souls. In Chapter 1, candles also serve the practical function of supposedly dispelling the smell of decomposing bodies, though they flicker with extra significance. As Dong-ho replaces a candle in the gymnasium full of corpses, he becomes bewitched by the flame. To him, the "tiny blue-tinged core that clasps the wick" has a "trembling shape recalling that of a heart or perhaps an apple seed" (Chapter 1). Both of these comparisons exemplify remnants.
The novel also ends with an image of candles. The writer stares at the "flame's fluttering outline" and compares it to "a bird's translucent wing" (Chapter 7). This subtly connects the flame to the souls of departed people because elsewhere in the novel, Hang draws a comparison between birds and souls.
Birds (Symbol)
Birds symbolize human souls. Specifically, Hang uses avian imagery in scenes where living people imagine what happens after death. For example, in Chapter 1, Dong-ho recalls witnessing his grandmother's death. At the time, "something seemed to flutter up from her face, like a bird escaping from her shuttered eyes above the oxygen mask." This led Dong-ho to wonder "where that fluttering, winged thing had disappeared to." Similarly, the writer in the final chapter contemplates a candle that she placed on Dong-ho's grave and compares it to "a bird's translucent wing" (Chapter 7). However, the one chapter told from the perspective of someone who already died does not entirely confirm the connection between birds and souls. Jeong-dae instead describes being tethered to his body and thus being unable to fly (Chapter 2).
