해방 직후 귀환서사에 나타난 여성 귀환자 연구－엄흥섭과 손소희의 소설을 중심으로

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate repatriate narratives of women created by Eom Heung-seop and Son So-hee during Liberation Period, and discuss the two paths of Korean women’s repatriation, as well as the identity problems arising in the repatriation process. The works of Eom Heung-seop and Son So-hee are representative texts of Korean repatriation narratives about women. Coincidentally, the heroine of these four novels is all named “Sun-i.” Sun-i depicted by Eom Heung-seop is a lower-class female returned from Japan, while Sun-i depicted by Son So-hee is an elite female returned from manchuria in China. In addition, both protagonists have a second name in addition to their real names. In the novel “A Return Diary,” Sun-i used to be a waitress in Japan, when she was known as Chunja. In the novel “Riragi,” the revolutionary’s wife was nicknamed Riragi before he was arrested. Two names represent two different identities, and these two split identities are the biggest problem in the process of repatriation. The heroine of the novel “A Return Diary” has gone through a lot to become a Korean woman instead of A Japanese waitress. The heroine of the novel “Riragi” also goes through a lot of difficulties to get rid of her husband’s nickname and become a complete human being. Eom Heung-seop and Son So-hee show two different ways of repatriation, through two stories about two Sun-i. The first is that women and men advocate nationalism as part of a new nation-state. The other is the separation of female and male subjects and the acquisition of an identity as a person. The former is the way that Eom Heung-seop looks forward to, and the latter is the breakthrough that Son So-hee explores. Through the differences between the two, it can be seen that female writers and male writers have different understandings of female repatriation.