제주 4·3과 고양이 상자 –한강의 『작별하지 않는다』에 나타난 양자 은유의 의미

초록

This paper analyzes the narrative techniques and meaning of the Jeju 4·3 through quantum metaphors in Han Kang’s novel We Do Not Part. The novel appropriates principles of quantum superposition, similar to “Schrödinger’s cat” , to illuminate historical events’ representational impossibility from a new perspective. The recurring verb “to think” in the text functions similarly to the observer effect in quantum mechanics, showing how the act of thinking influences the state of existence of its object. The image of “ snow” serves as a medium of transition, an expression of complex states, a symbol of circulation and connection, and a representation of how historical trauma becomes embedded in individual lives. Characters in the novel function as “relational subjects” where the boundaries between observer and observed blur, experiencing the Jeju 4·3 not as a fixed interpretation but as a superposition of coexisting possibilities. Particularly, the “night in Secheonri” represents a time like quantum superposition before observation, where various interpretations coexist in open possibility. Through this approach, the novel presents an ethical-political stance that acknowledges the contemporaneity and multi-layered nature of past events beyond the impossibility of representing historical trauma, exploring new possibilities for interpretation and memory through history’s “empty spaces”.

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