When users search for they are usually looking for the 1936 short story that cemented Yi Sang’s reputation. The Wings is a difficult, hallucinatory text that defies easy summary. It is a first-person narrative told by an unnamed protagonist who exists in a state of profound alienation and impotence.
In a moment of impotent rebellion, the narrator steals 20 won from his wife’s purse. He spends it on a lavish meal, fine liquor, and a record—acts of consumption that feel like freedom. But immediately after, terror sets in. He returns home, confesses, and expects violence. Instead, his wife simply laughs and leaves again. The final lines suggest his complete dissolution: “I have no choice but to wait for the day when, like a feather, I cease to exist.”
When users search for they are usually looking for the 1936 short story that cemented Yi Sang’s reputation. The Wings is a difficult, hallucinatory text that defies easy summary. It is a first-person narrative told by an unnamed protagonist who exists in a state of profound alienation and impotence.
In a moment of impotent rebellion, the narrator steals 20 won from his wife’s purse. He spends it on a lavish meal, fine liquor, and a record—acts of consumption that feel like freedom. But immediately after, terror sets in. He returns home, confesses, and expects violence. Instead, his wife simply laughs and leaves again. The final lines suggest his complete dissolution: “I have no choice but to wait for the day when, like a feather, I cease to exist.”