아동문학에 나타난 죽음과 치유 그리고 성장의 모티프

Abstract

Death or dying is an inevitable part of life and appropriate literature can help children learn about and deal with it. Sharing grief through the reading of well written stories is an important coping strategy that promotes both individual healing and a sense of connection with other struggling, suffering people. Children’s literature since the 1970s has provided a variety of sensitively written storybooks on death and dying. Newbery Medal winners such as Missing May (1992) and Out of the Dust (1997) focus on death and dying as a main theme, and The Bridge to Terabithia (1977) and Kira-Kira (2004) incorporate the issue of death as part of the plot. These four fictions describe the impact of the death of a mother, a sister, and a friend on the main characters and the painful process of their recovery from these distressing experiences. The healing properties of these novels effectively aid young readers to cope with current and potential problems related to death and dying. Therefore these quality literary works can be used for both artistic and therapeutic purposes for the young readers. Understanding and empathizing with the characters in the well written stories can provide insight for human feelings and the momentum for spiritual growth.