Essay - Ha Jin's 'In the Pond' Review of Ha Jin's 'In...

Ha Jin's "In the Pond"

Review of Ha Jin's "In ***** Pond"

Ha Jin's book "***** the *****" tells a be*****utifully crafted tale of one man, Shao Bin, who is forced to work in the Harvest Fertilizer Plant as a mech*****nic. B***** ***** a talented calligrapher and artist, and it is clear that he is frustrated by the way his talents are going ***** waste working as a mechanic. Plus ***** job is sometimes hard on his hands, which he needs for his art and wr*****ing. Even though *****in is *****e ***** the senior workers at the plant, he and h***** family are denied the chance of living in an apartment in the new complex because his bosses ***** their close friends take all of the big apartments. While Bin is gener*****y a kind and calm man, he is angered and disturbed by this, and he decides to get back at his employers t***** only way he really knows how -- *****hrough his art.

Bin decides to draw a cartoon, and he depicts his employers in a less-than-flatter*****g light. They are very angered by *****, and they attempt to cause harm to Shao Bin ***** ***** reputation, all because of their own selfishness in tak*****g ***** of the large apartments and not stopping to consider ***** needs of one of their best and most senior employees. Bin continues to ***** his snide and sarcastic *****s which depict the flaws of his employers, and the wrath ***** his employers only provokes newer and more satirical cartoons on his part.

Each new cartoon is more amusing than the last, ***** Bin draws on his *****' anger to create ***** and better cartoons each time he draws something. This makes ***** employers even more angry, which only adds fuel to the fire. ***** drawing and getting angry goes on ***** quite some *****, but *****tually Bin begins to realize that he has a gre*****t deal at stake w*****n his employers threaten to fire him for his behavior. Because of *****ir retaliation, Bin is torn between upholding h***** principles and keeping *****is job.

He believes in fairness ***** all people, and he believes that his employers are being selfish and unfair ***** taking t***** big ***** in *****he new complex for themselves when Bin *****ly has a ***** he needs to have good housing for. Because ***** his employers' actions, ***** finds that a new need -- a need for justice -- is stirring in him. T***** is something that he ********** felt before, since he's never ***** been noticeably wronged enough to become *****, but he decides that it must be there for a purpose, ***** he won't just turn a***** from it.

Bin's employers decide th*****t t*****y will transfer him, but they learn that the popular*****y of h***** ***** has preceded *****, and he is very much in demand w*****rever he would go. Anywhere he would be transferred to ***** ***** likely be a step up for him *****nd improve his position,