> About this Korean novel: Goodreads description (link)
Almond (아몬드) bySohn Won-Pyung (손원평)
“This story is, in short, about a monster meeting another monster.
One of the monsters is me.
Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say "thank you," and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space.
Then on Christmas Eve—Yunjae’s sixteenth birthday—everything changes. A shocking act of random violence shatters his world, leaving him alone and on his own. Struggling to cope with his loss, Yunjae retreats into silent isolation, until troubled teenager Gon arrives at his school and begins to bully Yunjae.
Against all odds, tormentor and victim learn they have more in common than they realized. Gon is stumped by Yunjae’s impassive calm, while Yunjae thinks if he gets to know the hotheaded Gon, he might learn how to experience true feelings. Drawn by curiosity, the two strike up a surprising friendship. As Yunjae begins to open his life to new people—including a girl at school—something slowly changes inside him. And when Gon suddenly finds his life in danger, it is Yunjae who will step outside of every comfort zone he has created to perhaps become a most unlikely hero.”
Examining the Psychology of Almond’s characters Gon and Yunjae
[ note: this article is also organized into this document ]
Gon through the lens of BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), childhood trauma and C-PTSD (Complex-PTSD)
Yunjae through the lens of Alexithymia
Introduction: I believe Yunjae, the protagonist of Almond, has alexithymia, while Gon has BPD and C-PTSD stemming from his childhood trauma.
Their interactions, dynamic, and deepened friendship explore how their polar opposite natures and struggles connect them in a unique way, as they both face barriers and are misunderstood by society.
__OUTLINE__
I. FOREWORD - Contrasting Worlds: Yunjae and Gon’s Emotional Journey
II. About Gon - BPD, C-PTSD, and the role of childhood trauma
III. About Yunjae - Alexithymia (rule out autism)
I. FOREWORD — Contrasting Worlds: Yunjae and Gon’s Emotional Journey
ChatGPT:
In "Almond" by Won-pyung Sohn, Yunjae, the protagonist, is a young boy who experiences a unique and often isolating condition known as alexithymia. This condition, which involves difficulty in recognizing and identifying one’s own emotions, is a central theme of the novel. Yunjae's emotional disconnect significantly affects his relationships and his perception of the world, making him a stark contrast to the emotionally charged character of Gon, who serves as a foil to him.
Yunjae's Struggle with Alexithymia
Alexithymia is not just an inability to express emotions; it’s also about difficulty in recognizing emotions within oneself. Yunjae’s emotional life is characterized by detachment and confusion. From the very beginning, he struggles with understanding why he feels the way he does, or even if he feels anything at all. His emotional world is muted—bland, like a fog—and this often leaves him confused about others’ emotional responses too.
Yunjae’s condition manifests in several key ways:
Difficulty Identifying Emotions: Yunjae is often confused about what he feels. Emotions like sadness, anger, or joy are hard for him to pinpoint, leaving him to navigate the world without the tools to make sense of his internal states.
Struggling with Expression: Even if Yunjae does experience emotions, he has little ability to express them. He may feel anger or frustration but cannot articulate these feelings or communicate them to others in a way that would help him connect emotionally. This leads to a kind of emotional paralysis, making him appear distant or even cold to those around him.
Difficulty in Connecting with Others: This emotional numbness creates a significant barrier in his relationships. Yunjae finds it hard to empathize with others or understand their emotional states. This also makes him appear somewhat alienated from his peers, as he cannot react in the ways they expect, making social interactions feel strained or awkward.
Yunjae’s detachment is not only emotional but also cognitive: his internal world is a mystery to him. His brain does not process emotions in the same way that most people’s do, leaving him struggling with concepts that others find intuitive. This emotional disconnect makes him feel like an outsider in his own life—unable to comprehend his own feelings, let alone those of the people around him.
Gon as the Emotional Antithesis
In stark contrast to Yunjae, Gon is the embodiment of intense emotions. His life is driven by deep pain, anger, and frustration, emotions that he feels acutely and struggles to control. Gon’s emotional world is loud and chaotic, which makes him the perfect foil to Yunjae's silent emotional landscape.
Unlike Yunjae, Gon is highly emotional and reactive. His emotional intensity is partly a result of his traumatic past, where he experienced abuse and neglect. These early experiences left Gon with a hyperactive emotional response that he can’t seem to temper. He feels too much—anger, sadness, frustration, and rage are constant companions—and often, he expresses these feelings in impulsive, destructive ways. His outbursts, fights, and aggressive behavior are all attempts to deal with emotions that overwhelm him.
Where Yunjae is unable to comprehend his emotions, Gon experiences them with a visceral intensity that he cannot control or stabilize. His behavior can be erratic and, at times, self-destructive, as he seeks to release the emotional pressure building inside him. This emotional instability reflects the lack of emotional regulation he’s been taught or allowed to develop, resulting in frequent impulsive actions and volatile relationships.
The Dynamic Between Yunjae and Gon
The contrast between Yunjae and Gon serves as a profound exploration of how different people cope with emotional pain. Yunjae, unaware of his emotions, finds solace in order and structure, while Gon, who feels everything intensely, is consumed by chaos. Despite their differences, these two characters share an underlying need for connection and understanding—a need that draws them together over the course of the novel.
Initially, Gon bullies Yunjae, perhaps out of frustration at Yunjae’s lack of emotional response. Gon’s emotional outbursts are in stark contrast to Yunjae’s blank, almost non-receptive demeanor. Where Gon craves emotional release, Yunjae seems almost indifferent to emotions. This dynamic creates tension between them—Gon’s anger at Yunjae’s inability to react mirrors his frustration at being unable to manage his own emotions.
However, as the story progresses, their relationship evolves. Yunjae begins to learn about emotions through his interactions with Gon. In Gon’s emotional outbursts, Yunjae begins to recognize that emotions are not something to be feared or suppressed—they can be expressed and understood. Yunjae’s connection with Gon is pivotal in his emotional growth, as he starts to develop the tools to comprehend his own feelings. In turn, Gon’s connection to Yunjae provides him with a rare source of stability, a calm that allows him to begin to manage his emotional turmoil and explore a more balanced, grounded way of relating to others.
Their unusual friendship becomes a catalyst for both characters' growth—Yunjae learning to engage with emotions, and Gon learning to temper his intense feelings. Through their relationship, the novel explores the idea that emotional connection can be healing. Yunjae’s understanding of emotions grows, and Gon’s emotional instability begins to find some form of stability, ultimately showing the power of friendship in helping both characters find their way through the emotional challenges they face.
Themes of Pain, Healing, and Connection
Through the contrasting emotional landscapes of Yunjae and Gon, Almond explores the pain of emotional disconnect and the healing power of relationships. While Yunjae’s journey is about discovering emotions and understanding himself, Gon’s journey is about finding a way to handle the overwhelming feelings that often overwhelm him. Together, their relationship highlights the theme of how people cope with pain in vastly different ways, but how connection—through understanding and acceptance—can be transformative for both.
Yunjae’s condition of alexithymia is not a barrier to connection with Gon, but a catalyst for deeper emotional understanding. Their contrasting emotional responses show that even the most emotionally disconnected person can grow through genuine human relationships, just as someone consumed by intense emotion can find peace through stability and support.
II. Gon: BPD, C-PTSD, childhood trauma
i. About Gon
ii. BPD
iii. C-PTSD (Complex PTSD)
i. About Gon
ChatGPT:
In Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, Gon is a significant side character who serves as a foil to the protagonist, Yunjae. Unlike Yunjae, who struggles with alexithymia (an inability to recognize and express emotions), Gon is highly emotional, impulsive, and deeply troubled due to his traumatic past.
Gon’s Background and Role in the Story:
Gon comes from a broken family, with an abusive father and a mother who abandoned him. His life is filled with instability and emotional turmoil.
He initially bullies Yunjae, possibly out of frustration at Yunjae’s lack of reaction, but over time, their relationship evolves into an unusual friendship.
Unlike Yunjae, who is detached and struggles to connect with emotions, Gon is almost the opposite—he feels too much but lacks the stability to manage those emotions.
Their interactions allow both characters to grow: Yunjae starts to understand emotions more deeply, and Gon finds a form of stability in Yunjae’s presence.
Gon’s character adds emotional intensity to the novel and highlights the theme of how different people cope with pain and connection. His dynamic with Yunjae ultimately shows the power of friendship in bridging emotional gaps.
Childhood trauma is one of the most critical risk factors for the development of BPD, which likely lays the foundation for his emotional instability and additional diagnosis of C-PTSD.
He exhibits heightened emotional sensitivity, inappropriate anger, and impulsive behaviors, as well as unstable relationships – all of which are hallmarks of BPD. While fear of abandonment and dissociation aren’t directly explored in the text, these traits are often associated with the disorder.
To learn more about BPD and the role of childhood trauma:
__The role of childhood trauma in BPD__
Exploring the link between Family Trauma and BPD (link to article)
“Childhood trauma is one of the most critical risk factors for the development of BPD. Many instances of childhood trauma happen within the family environment through relationships and interactions between a child and their caregivers …
Childhood trauma and early life adversity play a key role in the development of BPD. Research suggests that between 30% and 90% of individuals with BPD experienced some form of abuse or neglect during childhood.”
BPD — ChatGPT:
→ Gon’s character through the lens of BPD
ChatGPT:
Gon’s Character Through a BPD Lens
Gon in Almond is a textbook example of someone who likely has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), even if the novel doesn’t label it. His emotional instability, impulsivity, turbulent relationships, and deep-seated anger are all hallmarks of BPD. Below, I’ll break down Gon’s character in more depth through this lens, showing how his behaviors, emotions, and interactions align with the disorder.
1. Gon’s Trauma as the Root of His Emotional Dysregulation
Gon’s personality and behavior are shaped by his severe childhood trauma, which is common among individuals with BPD.
Neglect & Abandonment → His mother left him, and his father was physically abusive.
Unstable Home Environment → He grew up without safety or consistency, leading to difficulties in forming secure attachments.
Emotional Instability from a Young Age → His lack of parental support left him without the tools to regulate his emotions in a healthy way.
BPD is often linked to early trauma, especially in the form of unstable attachments and abuse. Gon’s background is a breeding ground for the disorder. His emotional volatility and inability to trust others stem from these early experiences.
2. Emotional Dysregulation: Gon Feels “Too Much”
One of the core features of BPD is affective instability, meaning a person’s emotions fluctuate rapidly and intensely. This describes Gon perfectly.
Extreme Mood Swings → Gon can go from rage to despair to excitement within moments.
Overwhelming Anger → His primary emotional response is anger, which is explosive and often disproportionate.
Underlying Sadness & Vulnerability → While he appears aggressive, he is deeply hurt inside. He lashes out as a defense mechanism against his own pain.
Unlike Yunjae, who struggles with feeling emotions at all, Gon is consumed by them. His emotions are so intense that he doesn’t know how to process them, leading to impulsive and destructive behaviors.
3. Impulsivity & Self-Destructive Behavior
People with BPD often act impulsively in ways that harm themselves or others. Gon’s impulsivity is evident in nearly everything he does.
Picking Fights Constantly → Even when it puts him in danger, he reacts without thinking.
Acting on Emotion Rather than Logic → He doesn’t stop to consider consequences, a common trait in those with BPD.
Seeking Out Trouble → There’s an almost self-destructive quality to his actions, as if he doesn’t care about the consequences.
This kind of reckless, emotion-driven behavior is typical in BPD, as people with the disorder struggle to regulate impulses when emotionally overwhelmed.
4. Unstable Relationships: The Push-Pull Dynamic
BPD is characterized by intense, unstable relationships, swinging between idealization (pulling someone in) and devaluation (pushing them away). Gon’s relationship with Yunjae follows this pattern.
Gon & Yunjae: A BPD Dynamic
Initially bullies Yunjae → Likely as a defense mechanism, because Yunjae doesn’t react the way Gon expects.
Develops a deep attachment → Over time, he begins to rely on Yunjae as a rare source of stability.
Shows moments of warmth but struggles with consistency → He can be protective one moment and hostile the next.
The “I hate you, don’t leave me” pattern → This is classic BPD behavior, where a person struggles with intense emotional dependence but fears being hurt.
Yunjae, in many ways, is the opposite of Gon—he is detached, logical, and unemotional. This creates a fascinating contrast, as Gon is the one who feels too much, while Yunjae struggles to feel at all.
5. Gon’s Anger: A Defense Against Vulnerability
People with BPD often experience intense, inappropriate anger and have difficulty controlling it. This is one of Gon’s defining traits.
His anger is explosive, not calculated.
He lashes out physically, often without thinking.
His rage is usually a cover for deeper emotional wounds.
In BPD, anger is often triggered by feeling misunderstood, rejected, or out of control. Gon, who has spent his life being abandoned and mistreated, likely uses anger as a shield against deeper feelings of sadness, fear, and insecurity.
6. Fear of Abandonment (Implied but Not Explored Deeply)
A core symptom of BPD is fear of abandonment, real or perceived. The novel doesn’t explore this directly, but it can be inferred:
His mother abandoned him, which likely scarred him deeply and contributed to his attachment issues.
His relationship with Yunjae becomes deeply important—despite his rough exterior, he seems to cling to their connection in his own way.
His anger and rejection of others may be a way to prevent getting hurt first—if he pushes people away, they can’t abandon him.
Even though the novel doesn’t explicitly show Gon pleading for people to stay, his entire emotional volatility may stem from a subconscious fear of being left behind again.
7. A Deep Sense of Emptiness
People with BPD often feel a chronic sense of emptiness, like something inside them is missing. This could explain Gon’s restlessness, anger, and constant need for stimulation.
His constant seeking of fights, chaos, and intensity could be an attempt to fill an internal void.
He doesn’t seem to know who he is outside of his rage and survival instincts.
His emotional extremes may be a way to avoid feeling empty or lost.
While Yunjae struggles with literal emotional numbness, Gon struggles with the opposite—feeling everything too intensely, yet never feeling truly whole.
8. Gon’s Journey: A BPD Character Who Craves Connection
Despite his anger and impulsivity, Gon ultimately seeks understanding and connection—he just doesn’t know how to express it.
His bond with Yunjae is one of the few stable things in his life.
He resents Yunjae at first, but eventually, he relies on him for grounding.
His struggles aren’t just about being “bad” or “violent”—they stem from deep emotional wounds.
Gon’s character is tragic yet deeply human. He is someone who feels too much, acts out in pain, and struggles to find stability—a near-perfect reflection of what it means to live with BPD.
Final Thoughts: Gon as a BPD Character Done Right
Gon’s emotional intensity, impulsivity, unstable relationships, and deep-seated anger align strongly with Borderline Personality Disorder. His struggles stem from abandonment, trauma, and a desperate search for connection, making him one of the most realistic portrayals of a character with BPD traits in contemporary literature.
His relationship with Yunjae is particularly fascinating because it contrasts excess emotion (Gon) vs. emotional numbness (Yunjae)—a dynamic that highlights the complex ways people experience emotions, trauma, and relationships.
Gon is not just an “angry” character—he is a deeply wounded person struggling to find stability in a world that has repeatedly let him down.
iii. C-PTSD (Complex-PTSD)
__PTSD vs. C-PTSD__
It's crucial to distinguish between these two types, despite C-PTSD not being in the DSM.
While PTSD results from a single, acute traumatic event, C-PTSD stems from prolonged, repeated trauma, often psychological or relational, especially in childhood.
Both PTSD and C-PTSD share symptoms of avoidance, hypervigilance, and flashbacks.
But C-PTSD is more complex, as it deeply affects one’s self-worth, emotional regulation, and trust in relationships.
Viewing Gon through C-PTSD highlights the lasting impact of prolonged childhood trauma beyond BPD’s emotional instability. C-PTSD shapes his negative self-concept, relational difficulties, and emotional dysregulation at a core level.
C-PTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a fitting addition, especially in the context of Gon’s background of childhood trauma. C-PTSD is often associated with individuals who have experienced long-term, chronic trauma—particularly in the form of abuse or neglect—which aligns with Gon’s experiences.
By introducing C-PTSD alongside BPD, you acknowledge that Gon’s emotional instability is likely rooted in both the trauma he endured and how he copes with it. This is important because C-PTSD and BPD share several overlapping symptoms, such as:
Emotional dysregulation
Difficulty with interpersonal relationships
Negative self-image
C-PTSD also highlights the long-term impact of early trauma, making it an additional layer that could contribute to Gon’s behavior. His impulsivity, anger, and difficulty in maintaining stable relationships might be exacerbated by the chronic stress and trauma he experienced as a child.
So, including C-PTSD provides more depth to your analysis, explaining how Gon’s trauma history contributes to his emotional turmoil and complex mental health profile. It also emphasizes the potential interplay between BPD and C-PTSD, which can often co-occur in individuals with significant trauma histories.
C-PTSD differs from general PTSD, as C-PTSD involves more persistent trauma over a longer period, often from interpersonal sources (like Gon’s abusive father and abandonment by his mother), which is key in Gon’s case.
III. Understanding Yunjae’s misunderstood character through Alexithymia:
Many debate whether Yunjae is truly unfeeling or capable of experiencing emotions like fear and even love toward his mother, grandmother, and Gon.
With Yunjae having severe alexithymia, his ability to identify and process emotions is significantly impaired.
Many alexithymic individuals, though it exists on a spectrum, struggle to connect with their emotions and instead report physical sensations to describe their feelings.
Yunjae’s ability to look past Gon’s aggression and provocation could very well stem from his alexithymia. While others become caught up in and clouded by their own emotional responses, Yunjae’s own disconnect from his emotions allows him to perceive the underlying deeper pain and inner struggle driving Gon’s behavior.
Yunjae does not lack empathy or the capacity to feel love. His ability to understand Gon, understand the love and care behind his mother’s and grandmother’s actions, and his willingness to protect and even sacrifice himself for Gon all point to a profound emotional depth and humanity already present within him.
ChatGPT:
This is a fantastic breakdown of how alexithymia shapes Yunjae’s character and the way he is perceived. His inability to process and articulate emotions does not mean he lacks them, and this is where many misunderstand him.
How Alexithymia Explains Yunjae’s Character and Misunderstanding
1. Emotions Are Present, but Not Recognized
Yunjae does not express emotions the way others expect, leading people to assume he is cold or unfeeling.
Alexithymia impairs his ability to identify and describe emotions, but that doesn’t mean the emotions don’t exist.
Instead of consciously recognizing emotions, he processes situations logically and often experiences emotions through physical sensations rather than psychological ones.
→ This explains why people debate whether he feels emotions at all. His emotions exist, but they don’t manifest in conventional ways.
2. His Response to Gon’s Aggression
Most people would respond to Gon’s anger, hostility, and provocation with fear, anger, or avoidance.
Yunjae, due to his alexithymia, does not experience emotional flooding the way others do—he isn’t overwhelmed by fear or frustration.
Instead, he can look past the surface-level aggression and recognize that Gon is acting out of deep pain and emotional turmoil.
He does not engage in the same emotional cycles others do because he does not register the immediate emotional weight of Gon's actions.
→ His emotional disconnect allows him to perceive people more clearly, beyond their outbursts.
3. Understanding Love and Care Without “Feeling” It Conventionally
Yunjae understands love through actions rather than emotions.
He doesn’t have the ability to naturally recognize his own emotional attachments, but he understands the meaning of care through what people do for him (e.g., his mother and grandmother’s protection and sacrifices).
This is why, even though he doesn’t express love in typical ways, his bond with his mother, grandmother, and Gon is undeniable.
→ Love, for him, is not an emotional experience but an understanding of action and connection.
4. His Willingness to Sacrifice Himself for Gon
If Yunjae were truly emotionless, he wouldn’t have the motivation to protect Gon.
His willingness to put himself at risk for Gon proves that he does, in his own way, care deeply.
Even though he cannot articulate his feelings, his actions reveal a strong internal moral compass and emotional depth.
→ He doesn’t lack humanity—he expresses it in ways people struggle to recognize.
Final Thought: Yunjae’s Humanity Despite Emotional Disconnect
Yunjae’s misunderstanding comes from the fact that people equate emotional expression with emotional existence. Because he doesn’t show emotions conventionally, people assume he lacks them entirely. But through his actions—his ability to see past Gon’s rage, understand love through actions, and ultimately risk himself for someone he cares about—it’s clear that Yunjae is not an empty shell. He simply experiences emotions differently, making his depth easy to overlook.
Additional: Ruling out autism for Yunjae
I hypothesize Yunjae likely has a severe case of Alexithymia, rather than autism.
Autism could fit Yunjae, considering his difficulty/deficits in social communication. However, he does not meet the core criteria for ASD of sensory sensitivity and restricted interests. Alexithymia is also a spectrum, so he could just be on the very end of it.
Yes, Yunjae’s condition seems to align more closely with severe alexithymia rather than classic autism. While he does exhibit traits that could be linked to social communication challenges, the lack of sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors, or restricted interests makes autism less of a definitive fit. Instead, his defining characteristic is his inability to recognize, process, and express emotions, which is the core of alexithymia.
Why Yunjae Likely Has Severe Alexithymia
Core Feature: Emotional Blindness
Yunjae does not understand emotions in himself or others.
He struggles to interpret facial expressions, tone, and social cues that convey emotional states.
He processes situations purely rationally, with little to no emotional reaction.
➝ Alexithymia is defined by difficulty identifying and describing emotions, which matches Yunjae’s experience exactly.
Lack of Sensory Sensitivities or Repetitive Behaviors
Unlike many autistic individuals, Yunjae does not display hypersensitivity to sensory input (e.g., light, sound, touch).
He also does not engage in repetitive movements (stimming), rigid routines, or fixated interests, which are hallmark traits of autism.
His struggles are purely emotional and social rather than sensory or cognitive.
➝ Autism usually involves broader neurodevelopmental traits, whereas Yunjae’s difficulties are hyper-focused on emotions.
Social Difficulties Stemming from Emotional Apathy Rather than Anxiety or Overwhelm
Many autistic individuals struggle with social interactions due to overwhelm, difficulty processing multiple stimuli, or social anxiety.
Yunjae’s difficulties seem to stem not from anxiety, but from an inability to understand what emotions mean or how to engage with them.
He does not avoid people out of discomfort, but rather because he does not naturally engage in social-emotional reciprocity.
➝ Alexithymia can cause social challenges similar to autism, but the root cause is different—an emotional processing deficit rather than sensory or cognitive differences.
Emotional Detachment vs. Restricted Interests
Autism often comes with strong fixations on specific interests—Yunjae does not seem to have these.
Instead, he is simply indifferent to most things and only begins to engage with the world when he forms meaningful relationships.
His disinterest in socializing is not because of a specific passion for niche topics (as seen in autism) but because he does not feel the emotional drive to connect.
➝ This lack of emotional motivation is characteristic of severe alexithymia rather than autism.
Conclusion: Severe Alexithymia Rather than Autism
Yunjae lacks the sensory issues, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors that define autism, but his inability to process emotions and his logical, detached way of thinking fit perfectly within the spectrum of alexithymia. Since alexithymia can exist independently of autism, it makes sense that Yunjae would have a severe case of alexithymia rather than being autistic.
IN THE COMMENTS:
→ ChatGPT’s overall assessment of my article (link to comment)
in the comments:
- (pinned) Gon's differential diagnosis: BPD, C-PTSD, MDD ; BPD symptoms according to DSM
- Alexithymia in Gon (vs. Yunjae) - what BPD + Alexithymia looks like
- Analysis of my writing: overall assessment, autism in my writing
- typology
Gon's full differential diagnosis: BPD, C-PTSD, MDD
(last reply - Gon's BPD according to DSM diagnostic criteria)