‘아로운 삼부작’ 속 ‘인간 추구’와 ‘외로움’의 의미 —고미카와 준페이의 『인간의 조건』, 뚜르게녜프의 『루진』과의 비교를 중심으로—

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the meaning of “human pursuit” and “loneliness” in the Trilogy of Ah Ro-woon by comparing with Komikawa Junpei’s The Human Condition and Turgenev’s Rudin. Both Komikawa Junpei’s The Human Condition and Trilogy of Ah Ro-woon abstract war, and the humanism emphasized in both works is limited to sincere attitudes within the system, such as resisting injustice in the military. In this respect, the humanism in both works lacks structural thinking and criticism of Japanese imperialism. The humanism of the Kaji and Ah Ro-woon abstracts the Pacific War as a war in general and relentlessly emphasizes sincerity within the system. While two of the characters in Ah Ro-woon’s name (阿, 魯) are related to Lu Xun, it is Turgenev’s Rudin that actually plays an important role in conveying the work’s themes and shaping Ah Ro-woon’s character. Rudin and Ah Ro-woon are like “clouds,” drifting without a base, pursuing ideals and ideas rather than action. But Rudin wandered because he sought fundamental reforms, while Ah Ro-woon had no blueprint for reform and was unable to leave the military. Ah Ro-woon had to be lonely in the army, and that can mean three things. First, in the text, “loneliness” serves as a basis for solidarity among “true men” who are critical of the war, regardless of ethnicity and nationhood. Second, “loneliness” serves as a backdrop for Ah Ro-woon’s “resistance through morals,” showing that he has the qualities of a future leader of Korea. Finally, Ah Ro-woon’s “loneliness” authorizes the regime’s leadership of the 1960s by not offering specific ideologies and actions. The Trilogy of Ah Ro-woon serves as an important touchstone for thinking about the still unresolved issue of colonization.