Chapter 70: Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Ji-won enters George's room carrying a glass of cranberry juice laced with crushed oxycodone pills she has been saving. She trickles the liquid into his open mouth while he appears to be sleeping, and his breathing slows until it stops completely. She then uses a knife wrapped in her dinner napkin to saw out his eyeballs, taking care not to touch anything else. Blood oozes from the empty sockets, and the napkin becomes stained pink. She stands back to admire her work, feeling the weight of the eyeballs in her hand, before hurrying back through the connecting doorway into her own room.

When the nurses deliver her dinner tray—chicken and rice, vegetable soup, and a cup of cherry Jell-O—Ji-won sits at the edge of the bed and drops the two eyeballs into the pile of rice. Their irises, still blue, seem to watch her. Using her fork and knife, she cuts a tiny sliver from the white of one eye. The sliver breaks open, leaking a clear fluid. She takes a bite and finds it heavenly, exactly as she remembers: salty, with a hint of sweetness and a metallic tang reminiscent of beef liver. She resists the urge to devour the whole thing at once, forcing herself to be slow and meticulous. She alternates bites of the eye with spoonfuls of rice to cut through the richness, cutting piece after piece until only a few bites remain on her plate.

At that point, she picks up the phone and scrolls through the missed calls—all from Geoffrey. She dials his number, and when he answers, she says, “Geoffrey? It’s Ji-won. Can we talk?”

Key Events

Ji-won administers a lethal dose of oxycodone dissolved in cranberry juice to George, who dies.
She extracts his eyeballs with a knife wrapped in a napkin, being careful not to touch anything else.
She returns to her room and places the eyes in her dinner rice.
She cuts a sliver from the white of one eye, eats it, and experiences a familiar, pleasurable taste.
She eats slowly and deliberately, using rice to balance the flavor.
She notices missed calls from Geoffrey and calls him back, asking if they can talk.

Character Development

This chapter marks the culmination of Ji-won's transformation from a passive observer to an active, calculating agent. Her actions are methodical: she has saved the oxycodone pills, prepared the drink, and executed the extraction with surgical precision, even wrapping the knife in a napkin to avoid leaving fingerprints. The care she takes not to touch anything shows a heightened awareness of consequence and a desire for control.

Her reaction to the taste of the eye—calling it “heaven” and noting that it is “exactly as I remember”—reveals that this is not a spontaneous act but a ritual she has performed before, or at least one she has long anticipated. The memory of the flavor, described as salty, sweet, and metallic, ties her to a past experience that she clearly values. Her decision to eat slowly and meticulously, rather than devouring the eyes in a frenzy, demonstrates a disciplined, almost ceremonial approach to consumption. This is not a crime of passion; it is a deliberate, ritualistic act of power and revenge.

The final action—calling Geoffrey—introduces a new layer. After completing the act, she reaches out to someone from her past, perhaps seeking connection, closure, or a way to reassert her identity outside the confines of her current situation. The fact that she initiates the conversation suggests a shift from isolation toward engagement, though the nature of that engagement remains ambiguous.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Murder and revenge: Ji-won's killing of George is premeditated and methodical, driven by the pain she has endured. The act is framed as a release of that pain.
Eye extraction and consumption: The eyes symbolize sight, power, and control. By removing and eating them, Ji-won literally ingests the power she believes George held over her. The act transforms her from victim to victor.
Ritualistic eating: The slow, deliberate consumption of the eye, balanced with rice, mirrors a ceremonial meal. This elevates the act from mere violence to a meaningful, almost sacred ritual.
Control and meticulousness: Every step—from saving the pills to wrapping the knife to eating slowly—demonstrates Ji-won's need for control over her environment and her actions.
Ordinary versus monstrous: The setting is mundane—a hospital room, a dinner tray, chicken and rice—yet the act is grotesque. This contrast highlights how easily the monstrous can hide within the ordinary.
Transformation: Ji-won's physical act of eating the eye marks a psychological transformation. She is no longer passive; she has taken agency and embraced a darker version of herself.
Power through sight: By taking George's eyes, she claims his ability to see, to observe, and to judge. She becomes the one who watches, not the one who is watched.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 70 is the climax of Ji-won's arc. It is the moment when her internal obsession becomes external action, and the reader sees the full extent of her capability. The chapter resolves the tension built over previous chapters—the saving of pills, the planning, the proximity to George—and delivers a visceral payoff. It also sets up the next chapter by introducing Geoffrey's call, suggesting that Ji-won's story is not over. The act of eating the eye is both a literal and symbolic claim to power, and it redefines her relationship to the world around her. This chapter is essential for understanding Ji-won's motivations and the lengths she will go to reclaim control.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ji-won wrap the knife in her dinner napkin before extracting George's eyes?

She wraps the knife to avoid leaving fingerprints or any trace that could link her to the act. The napkin serves as a barrier between her skin and the weapon, demonstrating her meticulous attention to detail and her desire to avoid detection.

2. What does Ji-won's description of the eye's taste reveal about her past?

She says it is “exactly as I remember” and compares it to beef liver, with a salty, sweet, and metallic flavor. This indicates she has tasted an eye before, suggesting a prior experience that she found pleasurable and that has shaped her current actions. The memory is positive, reinforcing the ritualistic nature of the act.

3. Why does Ji-won call Geoffrey at the end of the chapter?

After completing the murder and consumption, she notices missed calls from Geoffrey and dials his number. The call may represent a desire to reconnect with someone from her previous life, to share what she has done, or to seek a form of validation. The text does not reveal her motive, but the act of reaching out suggests a need for human connection after an isolating and violent act.