There have been countless parallels to answer the question of how far a mother would go to protect her child. Sometimes, a lifetime of sacrifice. Most mothers are forced to give up their dreams to ensure their children can fulfil theirs. They often erase their identities and values to fit the mould of society’s convenience. But motherhood is not a singular experience. It changes, transforms and renews with every generation carrying the same love. This is precisely explored in the 2025 K-drama ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.
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Motherhood Through Independence; Jeon-Gwang-rye
She is Ae-sun’s mother. Strong, Self-reliant and fiercely protective, she labours tirelessly to provide for her daughter. As a haenyeo or female diver, Jeon-Gwang-rye risks her life daily to collect abalone and seaweed. It’s easier to view her as a neglectful parent than to sit with the discomfort. Not every parent can afford presence when bills need to be paid. Jeon-Gwan-rye misses milestones in her daughter’s life, such as school competitions, her poetry, and celebrations. But she also goes against society and the community by not abandoning her child at the mercy of her late husband’s relatives. Her decision to risk her life and health every day speaks volumes about her character.
She is not the nurturing, gentle mother people expect; instead, she is dedicated to ensuring that Ae-sun receives an education. Not good at expressing it yet, she is deeply proud of her daughter’s achievements. She fights with her current husband to treasure the poem Ae-sun wrote for her. Once, she even sneaks to the school to win over the teacher with gifts since Ae-sun lost the points for class president.
A Mother’s Love Beyond Life
Unfortunately, she passes away at the age of twenty-nine from an illness caused by spending long hours in the sea. Her fellow divers and sisters in the profession mourn her. They raise her as their own daughter. But turns out this was not enough reassurance for Jeon-Gwang-rye. A few days before she died, she requested her mother-in-law to help Ae-sun at least once in future. This scene proves pivotal when Ae-sun’s grandmother lends her the money from her life’s savings so Gwan-sik can buy the boat. All of this happened during the first time Gwang-rye got herself photographed. And ironically, it was also her last. The same picture was used for her funeral.
Gwang-rye’s soul finds a sense of completeness, as if all the pieces of her past and present have finally come together. In the final episode, she is reborn as the chief editor who publishes Ae-sun’s book of poetry. As she reads through the verses, she finds echoes of her own journey woven into the lines because her daughter had always tried to live up to her ideal of womanhood.
Ae-Sun; Motherhood Through Endurance and Experience
For a small-town girl with eyes full of big dreams and hope. Ae-sun is thrown into motherhood unprepared. She is young yet to find her place in the world. She dreamt of becoming a poet but could not, forever treated as an unwelcomed guest at her uncle’s. After her terrible encounter with a rich, narcissistic widower, Gwan-sik is the only man who marries her without expecting a bride price. She rebels, hates her life, and her in-laws, who remind her why she wanted to escape it in the first place. Their disappointment surrounding the birth of her daughter highlights the patriarchal values Ae-sun constantly struggles against.
Breaking the Cycle of Sacrifice
She opposes her mother-in-law’s plan to turn young Geum-myeong into a diver to increase the family’s income. This is because she has learned to fight for her children from her own mother. She wants her daughter to pursue opportunities instead of survival. Ae-sun, who sacrificed her own dreams, refuses to let Geum-myeong do the same. She tells Gwan-sik that she wants their daughter to flip tables whenever she chooses to and walk out of any situation that demands her to betray who she is, without caring about the consequences. When Geum-myeong, as an adult, begins changing herself to win approval from her fiancé’s mother, Ae-sun intervenes. She encourages her daughter to value herself rather than seek it from others.
Many viewers consider her behaviour as favouritism. However, Geum-myeong’s achievements represent the freedom Ae-sun never possessed. Yet she does not neglect her son. She supports him through financial difficulties and helps raise his child. In turn, she accepts responsibilities he should have shouldered as a father. Not blaming his youth or recklessness, Ae-sun becomes a devoted grandmother.
One of the drama’s most touching moments occurs when Geum-myeong becomes a mother herself. Ae-sun and Gwan-sik rush to see their daughter before the newborn. Their reaction reveals a simple truth. They still see Geum-myeong as their child first.
Yet motherhood also leaves permanent scars. Ae-sun never recovers from the loss of her youngest son during a flood. The tragedy haunts both her and Gwan-sik for years. They continue preparing his favourite foods and bringing gifts to his grave. Their grief never disappears.
Yang Geum-myeong: Motherhood Through Choice and Freedom
Unlike the women before her, Yang Geum-myeong grows up with possibilities. She receives an education, leaves her hometown, and builds an independent life in the city. She initially struggles to understand the sacrifices of her parents to raise her. Sometimes she takes them for granted. However, this distance stems from a generational gap rather than a lack of love. Unlike her mother and grandmother, she has the privilege of focusing on her career rather than just surviving. She learns from Ae-sun’s resilience and Gwang-rye’s sacrifices, even when she does not recognise their influence. The moment she becomes a parent, the sacrifices of previous generations gain a new meaning. What once seemed ordinary reveals itself as extraordinary devotion.
Through Geum-myeong, the narrator of ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ presents the ultimate reward of motherhood across generations. Gwang-rye sacrificed so Ae-sun could survive. Ae-sun endured so Geum-myeong could choose. Her story demonstrates how each generation of women quietly expands the possibilities available to the next.
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