Biblical Namesakes in Pachinko

     Hi! For this blog post, I chose to focus on Isak's character, whose character and storyline has some parallels to the life of Isaac in the Bible. I feel like the most important (and memorable) moment of Isaac's story is when he is a teenager and is almost used as a sacrifice by his own father, Abraham, to give praise to God. At the last moment, God reveals himself through an angel and tells Abraham to sacrifice a nearby animal instead, showing that Abraham had true faith by being willing to give up his own son for God. 

    While at first glance, it might be hard to glean parallels from Isaac's story to Isak's in Pachinko, I do think the characters are tied together through the theme of sacrifice. While Isak's sacrifice is more self-inflicted rather than Isaac's, which was circumstantial, they both believe what they are doing is the right thing and have faith. Isak's faith makes him willing to stand up and stay true to himself, while Isaac had faith in choosing to follow his father's orders and placing his trust in God and Abraham.