셔우드 앤더슨의 「선생님」과 「신의 힘」에 나타난소통의 실패와 성의 왜곡 (The failure of communication and distortion of sex in “The Teacher” and “The Strength of God” by Sherwood Anderson)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 명지대학교(서울캠퍼스) 인문과학연구소
· 수록지 정보 : 인문과학연구논총 / 35권 / 4호 / 231 ~ 251페이지
· 저자명 : 이종문

초록

In “The Teacher” and “The Strength of God”, Kate Swift is the projection of Sherwood Anderson’s ideal woman who personifies his search for the beauty and true meaning of life. Kate is the most passionate soul with an inner creative force, but her desire is misunderstood and repulsed and becomes another grotesque in the patriarchal Winesburg society. As a teacher, she tries to make students aware of the creative force in life, and in particular, wants to open the door of life and share the love of art and understanding of life with George Willard. Kate’s intense passion is transformed into sexual desire and she immediately realizes that George is not mature enough to understand the meaning of physical contact. Ironically at the moment of Kate’s frustration and George’s confusion, Reverend Curtis Hartman receives a revelation of God through Kate’s naked body. Although he enlarges his own understanding of humanity, his revelation and exaltation are limited because he is unable to convey their meaning to others.
At the end of “The Teacher”, George realizes that he is missing something important Kate is trying to say. He begins to perceive that sexual communion is not the only thing to be communicated between a man and a woman, and that communication through verbal expression which can be distorted and misunderstood is difficult and impossible. I conclude that Anderson emphasizes the necessity of feminine qualities such as the creative passion, mutual understanding and communion Kate represents through the inadequacy of the communicative act.

영어초록

In “The Teacher” and “The Strength of God”, Kate Swift is the projection of Sherwood Anderson’s ideal woman who personifies his search for the beauty and true meaning of life. Kate is the most passionate soul with an inner creative force, but her desire is misunderstood and repulsed and becomes another grotesque in the patriarchal Winesburg society. As a teacher, she tries to make students aware of the creative force in life, and in particular, wants to open the door of life and share the love of art and understanding of life with George Willard. Kate’s intense passion is transformed into sexual desire and she immediately realizes that George is not mature enough to understand the meaning of physical contact. Ironically at the moment of Kate’s frustration and George’s confusion, Reverend Curtis Hartman receives a revelation of God through Kate’s naked body. Although he enlarges his own understanding of humanity, his revelation and exaltation are limited because he is unable to convey their meaning to others.
At the end of “The Teacher”, George realizes that he is missing something important Kate is trying to say. He begins to perceive that sexual communion is not the only thing to be communicated between a man and a woman, and that communication through verbal expression which can be distorted and misunderstood is difficult and impossible. I conclude that Anderson emphasizes the necessity of feminine qualities such as the creative passion, mutual understanding and communion Kate represents through the inadequacy of the communicative act.

참고자료

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