Korean-American author Tae Keller applied Korean tiger stories to the 2021 Newbery Award-winning book 'When You Trap a Tiger'. In this growth narrative of diaspora women, the aspects of tiger metaphors being used can be summarized into four categories: First of all, the tiger symbolizes the destructive energy of the unconscious or shadow. In this novel, Lily, the main character, needed the power of the unconscious to break through the persona of the 'quiet Asian girl'. Lily goes down to the basement of her grandmother's house at night as if entering the unconscious world. The tiger also symbolizes death itself or the god of death, which mortals fear. In order for the grandmother Ae-Cha to accept the new stage of life's journey, and for Lily to realize the secret of life with death, they must communicate with the tiger as a reaper. The third is the tiger as the guardian of stories. It helps two women reconstruct their narratives without ignoring the painful history. Finally, the tiger serves as a guide that leads humans, who rarely understand the world as a whole, to an integrated understanding. The healing that the tiger promised to Lily was not simply a cure for disease, but a reconstruction of one's own story through an integrated understanding. Not only Ae-Cha, but Lily is also healed through integrative understanding, which means that Lily is successful in establishing a new identity as a ‘Super Tiger Girl’ by embracing herself with two worlds and taming her inner tiger.

Authors:
Jeong-Ae Park, Kangwon National University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Jeong-Ae Park teaches narrative creation at Kangwon National University in South Korea. She published papers about Korean literature and novels for adults, young adults and children. She is preparing another children's book.

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