In a literary article, Yi Mun-yol defended Mrs. Jang’s choice saying it was strange why women’s choices excluded achievement at home.  On the other hand, a critic noted: “As can be seen by the references to two talented women that Mrs. Jang makes in the book, 'It wasn’t because of her poetry that Saimdang was respected' and 'Nanseolheon was not referred to as a literary woman by both families', Mrs. Jang had no choice but to give up her talent and be forced down the path of a social woman". A parallel was drawn between Mrs. Jang’s life and that of Yi Mun-yol. He had to give up his talent and enlist in the military amid conflicts with the system, just like Mrs. Jang’s choice to give up academics despite her talent. Moreover, Mrs. Jang subsequently gained authority as a female matriarch after complying with the system, while Yi enjoyed the status of cultural power after his successful incorporation into the system.  A similar circumstance was depicted in "Our Twisted Hero" in which the protagonist (Yi's alter ego) refuses to denounce the bully student monitor with whom he was forced to become aligned.