How Does Harden Use Direct Characterization In Escape From Camp 14

What are the effects of a childhood in a gulag prison, and does it mentally and physically impact a person's daily life? Shin Dong-Hyuk spent his first 20 years in North Korea in a camp known as Camp 14. In this environment, guards frequently manipulate students into learning the entirety of what the captivators teach them. When they do not obey the commands, their actions result in the guards harshly punishing them. During this time, North Korea is undergoing a tremendous food shortage, which was nevertheless a challenging experience in labor camps. In the novel, Escape From Camp 14, Blaine Harden employs both indirect and direct characterization to demonstrate how Shin's relationships evolve.

At the beginning of the book, Shin lacks friendships

Shin moves in with an older man named "Uncle" who shares a small cell with him. Shin becomes very ill from the recent torture because of the breaking of rules by his mother and brother. Uncle helps Shin with his health since Shin is unable to care for himself. Harden states: "The old man’s medical skills and his caring words kept the boy alive." (Harden 63). The author uses indirect characterization by saying Uncle uses his "caring words" to help Shin cure his illness. The use of the words suggests that Uncle is a kind individual, uncommon for Shin because he has maintained no good relationships with people who care for him and are affectionate. Later, the guards decide to move Shin out of his cell and place him in another part of the camp. His shifting of locations forces him to abandon Uncle. Harden writes: "Shin did not want to leave the cell. He had never trusted-never loved-anyone before. In the years ahead, he would think ahead, he would think of the man in the dark room far more often and with far more affection than he thought of his parents." (Harden 65). Harden indirectly shows Shin relishes the friendship he has with Uncle. The appreciation of Shin is apparent because he exaggerates words like "never" by repeating them a couple of times, providing emphasis. The feeling of gratitude indicates growth in his relationships because this is an abnormal feeling as a result of his often poor

In this chapter, Harden and several others interview Shin in America. During this discussion, they mention the escape of Shin and talk about his experience at the camp. The interviewer, David, describes the personality of Shin: "Shin shows real empathy for others" (Harden 138). David uses direct characterization in this comment, which reveals a lot about Shin's personality. The interviewer directly labels Shin as "empathetic", which is surprising since Shin describes himself poorly many times throughout the novel. The empathy Shin possesses means he is growing from the competitive child he was to a caring adult. Shin transfers to a garment factory to spy on Park, the new prisoner, because of an order the security guards give him. Eventually, Park and Shin become friends, and Park describes the world outside the camp to Shin. The desire Shin has to flee Camp 14 induces from the descriptions Park tells him. Harden explains Shin's emotions about Park: "Park made those thoughts possible. He changed the way Shin connects with other people. Their friendship broke a lifelong pattern—stretching back to Shin’s malignant relationship with his mother—of wariness and betrayal" (Harden 106). The passage shows substantial change in Shin’s relationships. Harden shows this by saying their friendship "broke a lifelong pattern." The description Harden included shows Shin has never had a relationship like the