To Room Nineteen through a KDrama
Several years ago, when I was still a young graduate and studying media production, I remember being continuously busy in preparing scripts and sorting out the logistics of filming. So, I am acutely aware of how tedious behind the scenes can be and since the beginning I gravitated towards the conceptualisation and scripting (later editing as well) aspects of a film/video. Which is why the one thing that I always do after finishing a Kdrama is try to search the production details and I am particularly elated if I am able to find information about the script or screenwriter. And some months ago, whilst watching Because This is My First Life, I was intrigued when Doris Lessing’s short story To Room Nineteen was constantly referred to in the drama.
I was not aware of the said author or story till I watched the drama and was immediately keen to get my hands on the author’s book so as to understand the crux of the drama’s script better. But it wasn’t until last week I finally got around to buying Lessing’s short stories book which contained the story about room nineteen. I finished the short story in one sitting because the plot was achingly familiar. Briefly, To Room Nineteen is the story of a woman named Susan who marries ‘suitably’, gives up her job to take care of her four children and lives ‘comfortably’ in a white house and a housekeeper to help around. While leading a ‘seemingly’ ideal life, Lessing draws the reader into the inner turmoil of Susan who feels empty and struggles to find herself amidst he husband, children and housekeeper. Eventually, in search of a space without any intrusions from filial duties, Susan unbeknownst to her family starts renting the room nineteen in a decrepit motel every week and spends time by herself for a few hours.
Room nineteen thus becomes her refuge and when her husband discovers about the room, she lies about having an extra marital affair because the truth would have been more terrifying and she would forever lose her space. It is a truth Susan’s family never learns because it is the truth of every woman who conforms to her gendered role in the society, but in the Kdrama Because This is My First Life, room nineteen is used as a metaphor for the lead couple to open themselves to each other. The main conflict in the drama arises from the female lead’s brutal realisation that in order to ingratiate herself to her husband and his family, she was losing her identity, whereas the husband kept his previous trauma and pain locked away from his wife, hindering their efforts to fully acknowledge their attraction for each other. The Kdrama does have a happy ending since the male lead unlocks his room nineteen and the female lead goes away on a much cliched solo trip, only to return and reconcile with her husband.
But while thinking of the drama and reading Lessing’s story, I was reminded of another Korean novel, the award winning Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. The novel was released in 2016 and the drama was broadcasted in 2017. While I am not sure if the drama’s screenwriter Yoon Nan-Joong was also inspired by Nam-Joo’s or not, all three have overlapping themes and similar concerns and the coincidence struck me as quite fortuitous since I was recently discussing Korean literature with a friend. Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is also a story about a woman who unquestioningly plays her role of a daughter, wife and mother. But then cracks start appearing and the husband observes his wife’s intermittent outbursts and inappropriate comments and wonders if she is the same woman he married. It is as if a stream of conscience fighting against rigid patriarchy takes over the female protagonist. In contrast, throughout in To Room Nineteen, Susan internally debates with herself if she is going crazy and would rather lie to her husband about having an affair than reveal the real reason behind her need to have her own space.
And finally in the Kdrama Because This is My First Life, the lead couple is able to break away from the patriarchal shackles, have an honest conversation and restart their relationship. In all honestly though, I would give Kdrama 5.5/10 rating if I had to and I found the female lead’s girlfriend’s stories more engaging and impactful. In comparison to the aforementioned written works, where the reader gets a strong sense of the women’s feeling of disconnection and disassociation from those around them, in the Kdrama, the female lead’s character comes across as too insipid and the humour unmatched sometimes. Although I did enjoy the character arcs and stories of the other female characters and the friendship between the female lead and her girlfriends. Kdramas must be commended on foregrounding the importance of female friendships. If you are interested in how a piece of literature might be adapted into a Kdrama and the concerns of women still fighting a largely patriarchal world, I would still recommend you watch Because This is My First Life in addition to of course reading the books as well!
Until next time chingus <3