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How short story 'Holiday' celebrates 'fools deceived by life'

Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 00:02

Kim Sung-jung

The author is a novelist.

Some novels shatter the heart with the force of their storytelling. Isn’t this what readers always long for?

Catherine Ann Porter’s short story “Holiday” (2017) had that effect on me. The novel offers a keen outsider’s perspective on nature, people and the life of an extended family on a farm. The Müller family, under the command of their parents, diligently cultivates the land and enjoys a harmonious existence. Even after marriage, they do not seek independence but remain within the family, playing their respective roles. Their way of life is conservative yet abundant, moving as one cohesive unit like a hive of bees, embodying health and stability.

The only exception is Ottilie, who initially appears to be nothing more than a housemaid — until the revelation that she is, in fact, the eldest daughter of the household. This shift in perspective abruptly alters the entire tone of the novel. Excluded from all major family events, from marriages and childbirth to the sudden death of her mother, how does Ottilie perceive herself? While the industrious family members neither coddle nor exile her, they treat her as if she were invisible. She is left behind, absent from both weddings and funerals.

When the funeral procession carrying her mother’s body passes by outside, Ottilie — who is unable to speak — wails like a wounded animal. In that moment, the narrator decides to pull her into the carriage, joining the procession. As the two travel together — Ottilie, struggling to keep her balance on the muddy road, beside the narrator — they enter what can only be described as a true "holiday."

Some novels shatter the heart with the force of their storytelling. [KIM JI-YOON]

“Yes, we were both fools deceived by life, co-conspirators in our escape from death. At least for a day, we had broken free. And so, we would celebrate our stroke of fortune, savoring this secret holiday we had stolen away on.”

Ottilie’s laughter, the unsteady, swaying carriage, the golden afternoon light — all these elements evoke contemporary discussions about mobility rights for people with disabilities. To move is to participate in life. The delicate, threadlike connection linking one human core to another stems from the shared realization that we are all fools deceived by life — and companions on the road to death.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.