4･3소설과 오키나와전쟁소설의 대비적 고찰: 김석희와 메도루마 슌의 경우를 중심으로

Abstract

The constant interest in April 3rd Uprising makes us aware that it is still going on in a variety of forms and that it is not a mere Jeju’s problem, which brings us closer to Okinawa. Okinawa is said to be the past, present, and future of Jeju. Therefore, in order to expand the horizon of April 3rd literature and establish literary solidarity, a comparative study was conducted on Okinawan writer Medoruma Shun (1960-) and Jeju’s writer Kim Suk-hee (1952-). The former writer’s works include “The Crying Wind,” “Droplets,” “Spirit Stuffing,” “Old Man Brazil,” “The Suffering of this Life,” and “Tree of Butterflies,” and the latter writer’s works are “Earth Tremor,” and “Stagnant Fire.” Kim Suk-hee’s April 3rd fiction and Medoruma Shun’s Okinawa battle fiction have something in common in that both orient toward the independence of local communities in relation to dire situations. Unlike Okinawa battle fiction, in the case of April 3rd fiction, orientation toward independence is considered a dream impossible to come true in reality. Therefore, in “Earth Tremor,” Hyun Yong-jik and Kim Jong- min are destined for death, and only talked about in “Stagnant Fire.” This difference stems from the fact that while Medoruma Shun writes his works in a surrealistic and grotesque way, Kim Suk-hee takes realistic approaches based on coverage and reasoning. These different approaches to the literary embodiment are naturally taken because discourse on April 3rd Uprising has long been tabooed while discourse on the battle of Okinawa has found its way to expand awareness, jammed between Japan and the United States. Both writers who consider local communities important show keen interest in cultural stagnation. There is a similarity between both writers in that they make a good use of ritual ceremonies to embody the motif. However, the difference lies in the use of dielects (the Jeju’s language and Uchinaaguchi). Medoruma Shun uses Uchinaaguchi more aggressively. Seen from the part of April 3rd fiction, Okinawa battle fiction speaks volumes. It sounds an alarm bell over the general tendency of April 3rd fiction that confines April 3rd Uprising to itself or only to local and domestic ranges.