See You in My 19th Life - Ch. 35

[comeonnow0]

@Podi125 He is representative of all poor people insofar as he is the literal only poor person shown.

And then you contradict yourself by saying that MC was poor until she got her job but he is somehow poor because he took on these debts? How about the MC could only get her current job because she was acclaimed as a genius because she has lived for hundreds of years of time?

Yes, he has these debts. Yes, he apparently has a bad character. Yes, he is the only poor person shown other than the possible exception of the MC herself, but then she is clearly an exception by virtue of being the main character.

Imagine if a story had all the people be of one race except for this one person who is of a different race. Then that's the person who is the bad person, the evil one. Nowhere in the story does it say this other race = bad. But it's the same kind of thing here.

 

[tantei_metal]

I always felt like Chowon would be the closest to finding out the truth. Let's see if our girl can talk her way out of this one

 

[enemieseverywhere]

ban jieum / big sis got too used to being the smartest person in the room. she's been so careless this whole trip. or maybe she's just rattled by finally getting THIS close to her family & her goal that it's messing her up, but she hasn't consciously realized it yet?

thank you for the translation!

 

[lukcluck]

Thank you thank you thank you for the translation!

 

[TotalPlebian]

@comeonnow0

There is something to be said for class discrimination in Manwha as a whole but you're reaching here. The race analogy you bought up falls apart the instant you realize that the wealth difference is the driving force behind the conflict between the MC and her brother, not a incidental detail like it would be in your analogy.

The saddest consequences of modern literary criticism going off the rails has been that a lot of critiques have begun to resemble the miasma theories that dominated medicine until fairly recently. You concede that the story makes no direct or symbolic comments that the working class is morally inferior but decide that there's a point to be made out of thin, allegedly foul-smelling air. Its why you've somehow managed to ignore all the negative depictions of wealth and decadence that this story has sprinkled in and hone in on what you think you're smelling.

There is so much overt materialism and classism in a huge chunk of Manwha that it reads a bit odd when you see someone pearl-clutching over this one.

 

[jctotheg]

LETS GOOOOOO , thank you for the chapter !

 

[tachiyumyum]

THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATES!! im so thankful you're reassessing 😔🥰

 

[bkre]

I want her to get exposed
Cho-won missed out on growing and bonding with her sis

 

[Podi125]

@comeonnow0 I see what you're saying, but there are other people in the story who aren't good people. The CEO of the company is a complete dickwad, far worse than the brother. I really think you are reading way too into this whole poor=bad rich=good thing. In order for that to be the case, there can't be evil rich characters. Since the CEO is also a dickwad, it contradicts the implication of rich=good poor=bad.
And just saying, there is the old woman who sells fried chicken, though she may be lower middle class rather than poor.

 

[comeonnow0]

@TotalPlebian "The race analogy you bought up falls apart the instant you realize that the wealth difference is the driving force behind the conflict between the MC and her brother, not a incidental detail like it would be in your analogy."

There's no explanation of this point, and, in fact, I would say that you massively put the cart before the horse. Is the driving force behind the conflict between the MC and her brother the wealth difference? Or is it his personality? Look at the other person in this thread. Podi125 had a comment saying "she made something of herself while he didn't even attempt to". Perhaps the driving force behind the conflict between the MC and the brother is his bad personality? Yes, money is obviously an issue, but do you think that the MC would be unwilling to lend money to her brother if the brother had a better personality? We see the fried chicken lady and how she has had money interactions with the MC. Money itself does not seem to be the issue. It's the personality.

And even then, let's say that you're completely right. The driving force behind the conflict between the MC and her brother is the wealth difference. So? That would support my point. The poor person, specifically the brother, has a bad personality. Instead of working hard and making something of himself (see the comment by Podi125), he has done nothing with his life. This poor person is trying to take the easy way out.

@Podi125 Fair enough. You are correct that there are rich people who are bad. I still think that what I said holds weight when the only poor person is bad.

I actually specifically said this in my previous comment on chapter 30. "Yes, very clearly, there are people who are rich and have bad personalities. But there are so far zero people who are poor who have good personalities. I do not include the "aunt" who runs the fried chicken restaurant because she doesn't seem poor. She's not rich but not poor. Same goes for Secretary Ha's family."

 

[notbythemoon]

oh shittt

 

[Podi125]

@comeonnow0 Okay but from a narrative sense, how would it make much sense to introduce someone who is poor and good into the story? The only reason the brother is part of the plot is because he wants to extort his sister. The MC's life is pretty much just going to work, hanging out with her coworkers, and dealing with her issues from her past life. There isn't much of an opportunity for someone else who is poor and good to be introduced.

 

[comeonnow0]

@Podi125 In that case, why have the brother at all? Maybe the brother only exists to cause this conflict. If that's the case, then the poor person is being used specifically for that, and my previous statements apply.

As far as her meeting other poor people? She has past connections and friends, pretty clearly with the fried chicken lady. She didn't go to a prestigious school. I'm sure her acquaintances while growing up in this life were not rich, and maybe a decent number were poor. Instead of seeing how her current life is going and how she might still continue to grow as a person, she instead has basically said screw this current life and everything about it. The current life is purely a tool to accomplish her past life's goals.

I say this sincerely. Thus far in the story, if she had just stayed alive in her past life, everything would've been better. Like, yes, there is still some mystery about whether there was an assassination attempt on Seo Ha, so that could change things. However, so far, her current life is meaningless except as a path to her past life.

 

[TotalPlebian]

@comeonnow0

"If that's the case, then the poor person is being used specifically for that, and my previous statements apply."

This is once again "I sense miasma"-tier lit analysis and not particularly compelling. The entire argument that the rich are presented as universally good and the only poor person as evil has already collapsed, so it's a moot point. The fried chicken lady and the rich hotel president's entitled son alone show that this story isn't trying to paint the elite as good and everyone else as petty or evil.

"However, so far, her current life is meaningless except as a path to her past life."

This is valid criticism, although I think it's pretty obvious there was foul play involved in her previous life's ending. That doesn't mean the author is making a commentary on class, or that any meaningful commentary on class can be interpreted from this story so far. The first chapter after she re-incarnates make it abundantly clear that the author doesn't have a consistent or particularly well-thought-out view on class, as it awkwardly juggles "poverty is a constant and soul crushing" and "just work hard" at the same time. That'd be a huge detriment in a story like Lookism which deals with various forms of discrimination in Korean society(I'd argue Lookism has its fair share of flaws in doing this), but it's not particularly damaging to the narrative that has been built up so far here. Class has been presented pretty neutrally so far, at least insofar as it hasn't dived headfirst into the total wealth-fetishism that so many other manwha are guilty of.

 

[comeonnow0]

@TotalPlebian

I never said universally good! Do you not read where I specifically said yes, there are rich people who are also bad? I literally even quoted myself from chapter 30 where I also said that. But no, none of that matters. The problem is not whether rich people are automatically good. That is a clearly related but still separate issue. The problem is that so far, poor means bad. I already made my statement about the fried chicken lady and Secretary Ha's family.

I didn't even say that the author is making a commentary on class. The same way that a novel portraying what is now called the white man's burden doesn't explicitly say this is the white man's burden, this story, here, doesn't explicitly say poor people are bad. You then do say "or that any meaningful commentary on class can be interpreted from this story so far".

You know what? Yes, maybe I am reading too much into it. I still think what I'm saying is reasonable. I get it. You very clearly disagree on using this particular work as an example of what I'm complaining about. I don't think that what I'm saying is unreasonable, even if you disagree though. Like, not everything is going to be this clear cut example, yes it is or no it isn't. I'm saying that for all the reasons previously written, yes, this is an example.

 

[Podi125]

@comeonnow0 I agree for the most part regarding your assessment of her current life. While yes she absolutely followed the grievances of her past life this time around, I doubt she made many, if any, acquaintances since she has been so affixed on her previous life this time around. I don't see a problem with her actions though. It's not like she ditched people she was close to as soon as she reincarnated, she simply never became close to anyone until that point. And regarding your point about the brother being a plot convenience, I can see what you are saying regarding that. I still think you are reaching, but I understand your point.

 

[JustARandomWeeb1]

Yay they didn’t drop it
Tysm for the translation ^-^

 

[comeonnow0]

@Podi125 Fair enough. I appreciate you talking with me about it, and I understand why you think I'm reaching.

 

[Podi125]

@comeonnow0 Glad that we both enjoyed this discussion. Feels like too many of them just don't end amicably.

 

[Bloop1234]

wow, now I'm anticipating the next chapter. Thank you so much for translating this!