소년화자 서사에 나타난 성장과 ‘힘’의 의미 －≪장난감 도시≫, ≪고기잡이는 갈대를 꺾지 않는다≫, ≪마당 깊은 집≫을 중심으로－

초록

This study set out to investigate the meanings of growth among boy protagonists that suffered the severe pain of mental and material deficiency right after the end of the Korean War through the literary reproduction of “power” in The House with a Deep Yard, A Toy City, and A Fisherman Does not Snap the Reed. These three works show the ways that the growth of a boy is embodied by depicting the way of the world or the disharmony of life through a boy narrator. Here, “power” is the object that governs the consciousness of boys, specifying their daily life in poverty and thus becoming a symbol of the achievement and frustration of their dreams and hopes. These novels are all notable works as they depict the background of the post-war society and the auther’s personal experiences. In In A Toy City , “I(Yun)” am from the family of displaced people. As a boy, I fail to adjust to the inferior living environment of the shantytown where the family has settled down anew and eventually witness the destruction of my family. The main character “I” discover violence of various patterns in the shantytown or get involved in violence himself, showing the truth of boys’ violence committed in parallel to that of grown-ups. Violence in post-war society works according to economic interests or is revealed through anxiety and madness like in the organized violence of “I” and boys. A Fisherman Does Not Snap the Reed shows the patterns of “strength” and “power” rather than violence. The main character “I” witness people degenerating Samson’s “strength” into an object of mockery at the marketplace and individuals with a left-wing tendency being eliminated. Having experiences with the fall of mythological “strength,” the strength of invisible power, the mirror, and the classroom floor, I realize the possibility that this world can be seen in different aspects instead of the original one like a reversed world. In A House with the Deep Yard, “strength” works as a chance for “me” to open my eyes to the sacredness of labor unlike the two works above. I am disciplined to have a sense of responsibility as the eldest son by Mother with a tough life attitude. It is Mr. Ju, who defected to South Korea after the war broke out and earns a living by chopping firewood, that teaches me about the right use of strength. The exercise of strength by Mr. Ju representing sincerity makes me realize the ways of the world as “I” grow to perform familism and play my part as the eldest son fully. These three works offer a peek at the gender consciousness of male writers that underwent the Korean War and post-war society. They maintain that the growth of boys to overcome post-war confusion and life of extreme poverty should reflect concentration on and resistance to violence in a negative sense and the perception of the right power.

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