채만식 문학에 나타난 ‘가족’과 ‘자본’:「심봉사」와 「흥부傳」 을 중심으로

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the characteristics of 'family' and 'capital' that have been embodied in Chae Man-Sik's texts <Shimbongsa> and <Heungbu-傳> and to examine what they signify. The ending of <Shimcheongjeon> is dependent on who is first focused upon in the narrative. In the extension line, Sim-Bongsa is transformed into a person who has a strong desire for success, and Sim-Cheong is instrumentalized as a means for achieving the secular desire of his father, Sim-Bongsa. This was the tragic ending of Shim Chung's life and his desire and frustration for the eyes of Sim-Bongsa. In this context, the aspect of Sim-Bongsa’s self-plaguing blindness reflects the traditional family system that led to the family being subjected to sacrifice and the terrible punishment for the incompetence of the patriarch. On the other hand, the classic <Heungbujeon> is a work that highlighted the problems of capital and family through the conflict between the rich and the poor with regard to the succession of the eldest son. The <Heungbu-傳> also dealt with the real-life conflict related to inheritance (money) between actual brothers, which signifies the characteristic that emphasizes the poverty of Heungbu and his efforts to overcome the same. Specifically, the poverty of Heungbu was realistically shaped by the setting that he could not become rich even if he received the benefit of swallow. However, this depiction of Heungbu paradoxically overlaps with his actual situation, which was that he had to solve the problems of a large family, and indicates an ironic self-satire effect. In this context, <Heungbu-傳> is interpreted as being critical of the harm caused by the traditional inheritance system of Joseon and reflecting the will to deny the same through the conflicts between the rich and the poor in the succession of Jangja.