최인훈의 <달아 달아 밝은 달아>의 구조적 특징을 통해 본 철학적 부조리-<심청전>과의 비교를 중심으로

Abstract

By comparing Choi In-hoon’s play Dear Moon Dear Moon Bright Dear Moon with Simcheongjeon, this study aim to identify the aspect of the irrational world embodied in the work and to explore the realm of “absurdity” that arises between the pursuit of individual consciousness towards rationality and the irrational world that remains silent in the face of rational demands. The characters surrounding Simcheong are characterized by a series of desires that exploit her, and the destructive aspect of this magnified desire poses a lack of narrative justification. Simcheongjeon depicts an ideal and rational world through the structure of characters’ personal growth and narrative rewards, establishing a punitive justice. On the other hand, Dear Moon Dear Moon Bright Dear Moon embodies an irrational world where moral causality does not operate effectively by taking the shape of a fixed character without personal change and a narrative structure without moral causality. Amidst contemplating the divide between the irrational world portrayed in Dear Moon Dear Moon Bright Dear Moon and the rational realm of Simcheongjeon and recognizing the state of isolation between Simcheong’s illusion and her experienced reality, the audience comes to experience the emotion of absurdity that emerges when human appeals meet the irrational silence of the world. However, Dear Moon Dear Moon Bright Dear Moon paradoxically depicts a human figure who resolves absurdity through the leap of an illusion, thereby revealing the inherent harshness and insurmountable nature of the absurdity existing between Simcheong and his life. This is ultimately silenced by human consciousness in pursuit of rationality. Dear Moon Dear Moon Bright Dear Moon serves as a metaphysical realm of thought by making one aware of the absurdity born between a world not governed by moral causality and the human inclination for rational pursuits. It leads to an acknowledgment of the challenge of facing and confronting absurdity, guiding the senses and thoughts towards the perception of absurdity, and thus holds significance as a venue for metaphysical contemplation.