Within the different adaptations of Jane Eyre, there is a recurring event of the protagonist leaving her first love interest under the guise of scandal. Often what happens after her departure is a journey of maturity as she struggles to gain footing in the world and make a living for herself. What usually transpires is at the protagonist’s lowest moment, her lost family comes and saves her. In Re Jane by Patricia Park, a modern adaptation of Jane Eyre set in the early 2000s; Park takes a slightly different approach to the journey of maturity. Park makes a series of decisions to break away from the traditional mold of the Jane Eyre narrative. Instead of reflecting on the family as the savior, it is ultimately Jane herself. Nothing alludes to this change than Park deciding to have Busan as the home of Jane’s mother, as the history of the city is one that mimics Park’s Jane. 

Busan is currently South Korea’s second-largest city, trailing Seoul. It is also South Korea’s largest port and is known for its richly diverse population and beaches (Augustyn). The Busan region would develop slowly until the sixth century when the Goryeo dynasty annexed the area. Under the Goryeo dynasty, Busan would have its first governing body, and late into the Goryeo dynasty, a rift between nobility would form, leading to an increase in its military power.  Following the end of the Goryeo dynasty, Joseon Dynasty would take control, and in the early 1400s, Busan would open up its first trade ports. By 1470 trade-in Busan was thriving with its largest trade partner Japan. However, this new partnership with Japan would litter much of Busan and Korea’s history from the late 1500s to the end of World War II (Busan Metropolitan). Busan and the rest of the Korean Peninsula would struggle to hold off Japanese influence and imperialism over the centuries. Thich came to a boiling point during World War II when Japan occupied the city. When Korea won its independence after World War II, many south Korean laws were passed in reaction to the harsh treatment from Japan. Apart from the rest of Korea, Busan would fall under complete government control at the start of the Korean war, as it acted as the capital of South Korea (Augustyn).  During this time, the city served as a refugee center for those fleeing North Korea.  From the 1950s to 1980, South Korea, but more specifically Busan, experienced a huge economic boom that led to the rapid economic development of the rest of Korea that continues still today. Ultimately, Busan’s history is a personal achievement in the face of internal and external forces like Japanese imperialism during World War II and North Korea during the Korean War (Busan Metropolitan).

Understanding the history of Busan explains why Jane felt a connection to the city, going as far as saying, “Just as I imagined, I was staring out at the little cluster of shacks at the foot of the bridge, where my mother had once lived. And in all my Korean sojourn, that moment was the closest sensation I’d ever felt to coming back home” (210).  This type of reaction is partly due to the mirror of Busan and Jane. Just like Busan has a history of struggling with both foreign and domestic strive, Jane herself often has a similar struggle. We see this as she continually tries to balance her Korean self versus her American self. Every time she leans toward one, she is criticized for not being more like the other. This is seen in characters like Sang, Beth, and Emo, who often try molding Jane to specific ideas, similar to how Japan occupied Busan. Yet, much as Busan came to its power through its freedom, so did Jane. Eventually, making the drastic decision to leave Ed to find happiness within herself. This type of shift away from the original Jane Eyre narrative highlights the importance of the self and shows the reader how far women have come in the 21 century.

Work Cited

 Augustyn, Adam. “Pusan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Pusan.

Busan Metropolitan. “History of Busan.” About Busan > History of Busan, https://www.busan.go.kr/eng/bshistory.

Park, Patricia. Re Jane. Penguin Books, 2016.