Life Lessons from When Life Gives You Tangerines

By: Veni Vandani

When I first decided to watch When Life Gives You Tangerines, I thought it was just a typical normal series, not really based on real life. But it turned out that this series was so realistic that it felt like a real journey of life with its ups and downs. The best thing in this drama was that it didn't show unrealistic scenes, instead it showed real life situations that most people experienced and how tough our life can be. Many aspects of this series touch on people's life problems, so many people feel related to this series. I am also one of them. As a viewer, I didn't expect it to leave such a lasting impression on me that I cried many times while watching it. Even after watching just a few episodes, my heart was already taken away, not only by the love story, but also by the twists and turns of life on Jeju Island in the 1950s. 

From: Netflixkr

I will start with Jeon Gwang-rye, the mother of the main character. She had endured a lot of pain in her life, but she still fought and will not let anyone, not even her family, brought her one and only child down. She never stop pushing herself to make her child happy, even if it meant doing things differently. Even when life gave her nothing, she gave everything to her daughter. 

This character really touches my heart because she showed the boundless love of a mother. Then, in the main characters, Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwang-sik, they showed that true love is not about grand gestures, but about faithfully accompanying someone through every season of life. No matter how difficult the situation was, they proved that true love meant patience, kindness, and never letting go. Sometimes, the greatest love story is simply about a man who chooses to stay and a woman who believes that love shines brightest when filled with courage and hope. Moreover, the love they gave to Yang Geum-myeong, their first child, made me very touched. However, even though they raised their first child well, it cannot be denied that no human being is perfect. They didn’t show as much affection to their second child as they do to their first child, because of that, their second child felt that throughout his life, his parents only loved and cared for his older sibling, never paid attention to him. This shows how important parental affection and love are for children's lives. 

Ultimately, When Life Gives You Tangerines taught me that pain, regret, and failure are part of the journey of life that has shaped who I am today. No matter how old we get, we're all still figuring things out. The characters in the drama, young and old, showed us that growth never truly stops. In the end, we're all just kids at heart, navigating the world one step at a time. This series has made me appreciate my parents' struggles even more, how difficult their journey has been so that their children can have a better life. Every scene reminds me that behind every hardship there is love, sacrifice, and strength that I often don't see, but that is what makes life worth fighting for.