<염소는 힘이 세다>의 반(半)성장소설적 통과제의 연구 (Study of the half-initiation fictional rites of passage in[The goat is strong])

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 충남대학교 인문과학연구소
· 수록지 정보 : 인문학연구 / 48권 / 2호 / 5 ~ 24페이지
· 저자명 : 김슬기

초록

통과제의는 흔히 인간의 정신적 성숙을 의미한다는 점에서 성장소설과 함께 거론되곤 한다. ‘성장소설’이란 소년이 성인이 되어가며 겪는 갈등이나 각성의 과정을 주로 담은 소설이기 때문이다. 이러한 성장소설은 필히 두 개의 세계를 전제하는데, 신화적인 낙원과 현실 세계, 또는 순진과 성숙의 세계가 그것이다. 김승옥의 단편소설 <염소는 힘이 세다>는 어린 화자가 등장하고, 순수의 세계와 세속적 세계라는 이분법적 대립 구도가 등장한다는 측면에서 성장소설로 평가되어 왔다. 본고는 이러한 평가에 의문을 제기하고 <염소는 힘이 세다>를 반(半)성장소설로 재평가하고자 한다. 소설에 등장하는 주인공 ‘소년’은 어리고 미성숙한 화자로 등장하긴 하지만 외부 세계를 인식하고 대결함으로써 자아를 각성한다는 성장소설의 본질적 핵심을 보여주지 못한다. 또한 ‘소년’이 두 개의 대립적 세계를 화해시키지 못하고 결국 세속의 세계에 수렴되고 만다는 결말은 이 소설의 반성장소설적 면모를 잘 보여준다. 이처럼 통과제의의 과정을 통해 반성장소설적인 면모를 살펴보는 것은 김승옥 소설이 가지고 있는 다양한 기호에 대한 새로운 독법이 될 것이다.

영어초록

On this paper, I question on the defining [The goat is strong] as a initiation novel as a matter of course. It is a formal factor of growth that the main character, ‘boy’, is young and immatured teller, but, because he could have not reached the matured level, classifying it into initiation novel is not a proper way to criticize it. This novel show us boy’s failure to turn into the matured so that [The goat is strong] can be classified into the opposite of initiation novel instead.
First, in the section one of the chapter three, ‘dream-the world of innocent’, I analyze boy’s dream which is innocent world before he is separated from the ‘goat’, that is, the dream boy met the ‘goat’ in. In this moment, because of existing of the strong goat, boy lives in the children’s world which doesn’t show him his own powerlessness and rack of innocent in the world. This dream stands exactly opposite side of the real mundane world and makes the binary opposition with it. A novel tells the rites of passage should be based on two different worlds such as a mythological paradise with real world, immatured world with matured one.
Secondly, in ‘house-the world of insecurity’ of the chapter two, I look over the stage of the change of ‘our house’ from a powerless ‘cosmos’ into ‘Chaos’ by the disturbing, scary and strong invaders. This insecure world is made by the death of goat so boy has no choice but having extreme anxiety. Also, keep saying “the goat is strong” paradoxically means “I’m not strong”. He pass through this several trials but, in the end, he step back from the situation instead get the point of transformation. That is no process of passage from not knowing about outside to understanding it showing, no awakening like discovering the him self showing. This feature is the main reason why [The goat is strong] can’t be a initiation novel.
Finally, in ‘mundaneness-the world of unification’ of the chapter three, I look over the way boy’s innocent world is converged with the real world. Therefore, because of boy not passing through the transformation, defining [The goat is strong] as a initiation novel is not proper nonetheless it has the features of the initiation novel.
Because the rites of passage comes in humans life in many ways, the rites are deeply related with it. Because the rites of passage is the motive power inspiring imagination, the literature is the place that it is most effective. So this process to observe the aspect of the rites of passage in the literature is going to be looking back humans life and, also, it can be a new way to read it.

참고자료

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