Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Bossam: Steal the Fate

 

According to Confucian morality and especially the hardline Neo-Confucianism that dominated in this period of Joseon’s history, women needed to be faithful and loyal to their husbands and by extension to their husbands’ families. Laws were passed that made it increasingly hard for widows to remarry legally since to marry another man would mean putting him above one’s first husband and his parents.

The widows’ situation as a “social death” and that’s what it was, really. Perpetually confined to the role of a wife/daughter-in-law and separated from her own family but without an actual husband who could protect her from his family’s abuse and give her sanction to engage in acceptable forms of social activity, a widow was basically a ghost who provided free labour to her in-laws. Or at least that’s what she was supposed to act like! Otherwise she could be branded as unfilial and disloyal, or worse. -L


A story of life and love that touches upon the oppression experienced by women and the impoverished.


Ba Woo is a degenerate man who gambles, steals, fights, and hides his real identity. To make money, he works by doing Bossam; a customary remarriage procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a widow could not remarry, so a single man or a widower would kidnap the widow and marry
her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and others were by force. While performing a Bossam, Ba Woo mistakenly kidnaps Princess Hwa In, the daughter of King Gwanghae and the daughter-in-law of his enemy Lee Yi Cheom. For a secret political agreement, she married the older brother of a man she loved, but, on the day of her wedding, her husband died. She then became a widow...

This K-drama is only on VIKI. Starring Jung Il Woo, Kwon Yu Ri and Shin Hyun Soo.

4 comments:

  1. El se ve tan lindo lastima que esa serie no este en neflix. Te mando un beso

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  2. I never knew that there were laws in China preventing widows from remarrying. I like that this movie has a "degenerate" fighting against them, even if in his own interest.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes, we don't realize how good we have it until we look to the past and see all the horrible things women went through. In fact, its as if you were anyone in those days born..you were meant to be punished.

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