다무라 도시코의 『 포락지형(炮烙の刑)』 고찰 —등장인물 류코에 투영된 팜므파탈 이미지를 중심으로—

Abstract

This thesis draws the image of the femme fatale from the character of Ryuko, the female primaryprotagonist of Horaku no Kei (The Torture of Hot Pillar), written by Toshiko Tamura and analyzes that image. Individualism prevailed during the Taishō period; as a result, numerous love affairs made headlines, marking an era of love supremacy. Ryuko confesses that although she is a married woman, she loves another man. She argues that she does not feel guilty about it because that is who she is. Her confession can be perceived as an intended action on her part, to reaffirm her husband’s love for her through the process of making him feel jealous. Despite stressing on how she feels is only platonic love for her lover Hirojo; who is younger than her; it is Ryuko who seduces him first. Later, the relationship turns troublesome. In fact, Ryuko does not care about the pain that either Geiji, her husband, or Hirojo, her young lover, have to bear; only her own egoism exists. Her story could be the result of a distortedself-viewformedintheprocessofJapan’s modernization. When Ryuko confesses to Geiji, she is confident in her approach. However, she appears to be trying to escape reality because she cannot cope with her inner chaos which is the result of her unstable and immature ego. Eventually, the love affairs that Ryuko has with the two men result in the destruction of the lives of her husband, her lover, and Ryuko herself. It may be suggested that the author used the ‘Torture of Hot Pillar’—the name of a punishment involving King Zhou of Shang and his consort Su Daji—as the title of her book to invoke the image of the femme fatale in the protagonist, Ryuko.