Stereotypes In Death By Hanging

In Death by Hanging, the Japan-born Korean character R is sentenced to death by hanging for raping and subsequently murdering two Japanese women. R, however, survives his execution but loses his memory. This leaves the officials perplexed, struggling to figure out what to do, as they cannot execute a mentally incapacitated prisoner—the execution only has “moral and ethical meaning” when the prisoner is aware of his own guilt (ITC). Throughout the film, the execution officials recreate R’s crime as a way of forcing him to recall his crimes. To no avail, the officials try recreating his childhood instead, exaggerating their performance to fit the stereotype of a loud and brash Korean family. While doing so, they attempt to teach R what “nations

Despite the stereotypes, it is still important to acknowledge the treatment of poor treatment of zainichi Koreans in Japan, even after the Japanese colonisation of Korea and the post-world war American occupation of Japan, which is reflected in the prison officials’ treatment of R in the film. With his memory and conscience wiped, R is essentially a blank state, allowing the officers to impose their personal beliefs of what a Korean person is, in terms of behaviour and childhood, amongst many other characteristics. After many failed attempts of getting R to acknowledge and confess to his crimes through retellings and reenactments, the officials attempt to recreate R’s childhood and teach him about ethnicity and nationality instead, as if R’s Korean ethnicity and upbringing are the incentive for his crime. The prison officials remind R that “[he] used to use the Japanese name K, but [his] real name is R” and that he is Korean (36:00). This scene takes place after the third intertitle—“R perceives R to be a separate person” (33:22)—and illustrates how the officials’ attempt to shape R’s memory and identity are in support of the state narrative. By stressing his Korean name and highlighting his poor upbringing, the officials emphasise R’s Korean heritage. Because of this, the officials influence R to create a sense of loyalty to the Korean state, prohibiting him from properly assimilating to the Japanese culture and identity should he regain his consciousness. This scene, therefore, highlights the insistent ways of the prison officials to associate R and his crime with his Korean ethnicity, widening the gap between the Japanese community and zainichi