박완서의 소설에 나타난 여성 혐오 연구-『살아있는 날의 시작』(1980)과 「친절한 복희씨」(2006)를 중심으로-

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing aspects of misogyny caused from marital relations. In Park Wan Seo’s 『The Beginning of the Living Days』(1980) and 「Kindhearted Bokhee」(2006), misogyny is caused from marital relations and the affect of female characters manifests itself from shame, disgust and compassion. Male characters embodying a contradiction of the patriarchal ideology and male-centered social system deprive women of their sexual determination and use a female body as a means of their desire and pleasure. Nevertheless, shame at unethical consumption of female sexuality by men is rather shifted to female characters. So far in Park Wan Seo’s novels, disgust has been read as hatred for others. However, both works mainly show disgust for themselves they identified passively with the patriarchy and male power. Middle and old aged female characters come to have an opportunity for the awakening through reflection on their marriage and search for the identity as female gender is completed after going through self-hatred. Female characters who can’t expect intimacy from patriarchal marital relations have no choice but to be passive at human life and desire. They act sexually ecstatic and pleasurable merely to maintain a marriage and satisfying their desire is delayed as marital relations continue. Such a process arouses self-pity of female characters and further gives them an opportunity to expand gender sensibility. Both contempt for women and self-hatred of women are misogyny. Park Wan Seo’s novels show such misogyny happens in marital relations on a daily basis. It is possible to overcome contradictions of the patriarchy and recover the intimacy and trust in marital relations through empathy and recognition.