한국 현대소설에 형상화된 신의 공의와 섭리 -최인훈의 「라울전」과 이문열의 『사람의 아들』을 중심으로

Abstract

This study focused on divine unbiased view and providence, which is the subject of theodicy and also, analyzed two novels to clearly show profound thinking on such questions. Korean modern novel possesses excellent masterpieces to embody a sorrowful struggle of a existential human, who is suffered from realistic unfair and seriously thinks about it. Characters shown in such works usually tried to struggle against the god at the final time when their patience reaches upmost extreme situation. When they faced with irrational life, which could never be allowed by rational reason, right before reaching the extreme of death as well as desperation, existential subject finally and daringly faced with absolute being. Choi In-Hun’s “Rauljeon” as well as Lee Mun-Yeol’s Man’s Son showed such fact. In common, these two novels doubted how the god, who intervened in realistic life, had unbiased view. Also, if it was the will of the god, who had unbiased view, they asked what Divine Providence embodied in it was. Such question was finally more basic self-examination in the aspect of theodicy of modern theology. In Choi In-Hun’s “Rauljeon”, Since Korean War and right before 4.19, an intellectual’s distress and frustration on Korean historical and political realistic was shown by kind of allegory through ‘Rabi Raul’. Realistic that ‘Raul’ faced was incomprehensible realistic toward different direction with his own will and passion and in the aspect of the fact that it was hopeless realistic, which could be never overcome through his any effort, it met with limits that Korean intellectuals after the war could not help but have. Namely, ‘Raul’, main character of the novel was established as exemplary intellectual at that time, who hoped to achieve the ultimate self-fulfillment by pursuing a universal truth as relying on rationality. On the other hand, Lee Mun-Yeol’s Man’s Son tried to challenge to escape from ideological and religious realistic indulged only to the heaven’s value as isolated from realistic. And as for more fundamental question, namely, birth of the savior, he endlessly questioned about if it could guarantee ethical validity as he had thought, if the creator’s will, which was performed at the beginning of the world, was unbiased view as he had thought, and how the god, who disregarded the pain of realistic, was and also, he showed existential human’s internal as well.