Pachinko spans almost eighty years, taking place in Korea, Japan, and the United States. The story concerns five generations of people and begins in 1910, with the family suffering from poverty and colonization. Future generations gain financial success, especially as Mozasu becomes rich from the pachinko business and Solomon works in the international banking business. Compare and contrast the first generation of the family (Hoonie’s parents) with the fifth generation (Solomon’s generation).

There are several sibling relationships explored in Pachinko. The novel focuses in particular on two relationships between brothers: Isak and Yoseb, and Noa and Mozasu. Compare and contrast their relationships.

In addition to siblings, there are several single-child households. Hoonie and Yangjin have one child, Sunja, and Mozasu and Yumi have one child, Solomon. In both instances, one of the parents dies young, and so the other must raise the child as a single parent. Compare and contrast the relationship of Yangjin and Sunja early in the novel with the relationship that Mozasu and Solomon develop later in the novel.