Understanding Kdrama: The Young Widow In “You Who Came From The Stars”

Viewers who saw the latest episodes of the drama "You Who Came From The Stars" may have been puzzled by some of the flashbacks into Do Min Joon's Joseon-era past. By now Do Min Joon, played by Kim Soo Hyun, realizes that the annoying actress next door, Chun Song Yi, has something to do with the 15-year-old girl he saved when he first arrived on earth.

But what may be difficult to understand is why that girl was treated so badly. Why did her in-laws pretend that she killed herself when her husband died? And when she escaped with Do Min Joon's help and finally made it home, why did her own family try to kill her?

Why was everyone so horrible to her?

To understand the actions of the young widow's in-laws and parents, it can help to learn more about women's lives in Joseon-era Korea, which lasted from 1392 to 1897.

Korean women had enjoyed more freedom and power in previous eras. By the time the Joseon Dynasty arrived women's roles were mostly confined to marrying and producing children. Daughters were called robbers as it cost money to raise them and provide a dowry when they left to become part of another family. As in many other countries, a woman's lot in life was totally dependent on her father and then her husband. A man could divorce a wife because she talked too much or didn't bear him a son. Then she risked becoming destitute.

Life was rough for women in general, but it was far worse for widows. Widows ranked lower than unmarried daughters. As they were not supposed to remarry, they could not make a marital match that was beneficial to the family.

Widows were given a special knife with which to commit suicide. Those who did were considered noble because it showed how faithful they were to their husband's memory. Those who did not take their own lives were looked down upon.

And why couldn't the 15-year-old widow remarry?

To remarry dishonored a woman's family and ancestors. And in "You Who Came From The Stars," she made things worse by arriving at her home with a strange man. That left a permanent blot on her reputation.

As her mother said when she was trying to kill her, it was considered better to have a clean death than to live an impure life. Her parents thought killing her was doing her a favor.

Fortunately that young widow had an alien on her side. And in the alien's 400 years on earth, things got a lot better for women.