존 스타인벡의 통합 생태학적 관점 연구 -『분노의 포도』의 서술방식과 인물상징을 중심으로

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find a comprehensive ecological perspective combining whole eco-system that existing ecocentric studies mainly concerned with the realistic life of human-beings that the main stream of ecocritical studies hardly concern through panorama narrative and symbolism of characters in John Steinbeck's work, Grapes of Wrath. The field of literature has been required for the need to develop wider perspectives since the term ecology, in literature, has been used the integration of nature and human beings on this planetary level. However, the main tendency of ecocritical studies hardly go beyond the ecocentric perspective from deep ecology which primarily focuses on the whole eco-systems. This tendency may cause the unintended exclusion of human-beings in the study. Therefore, if ecocriticism embraces human-beings with the whole eco-systems, it should try to concern human-beings' real life which is usually revealed in American canonical novels. According to some existing ecological studies, Of many American canonical novels, Steinbeck's works illustrate a high possibility of showing a ecological perspective. Because Steinbeck did not explicitly mention his philosophical ideas, this study tries to reveal his ecological perspective through a panorama narrative and the symbolism of characters in his work. His panorama narrative style shows both individuals life-Joad family's affair in fictional chapter and the general American's life at that times in intercalary one. This style of narrative more clearly reveals Steinbeck's intention and main theme rather than interrupts the flow of the main story. With the narrative, it can also explore the symbolism. Steinbeck tried to demonstrate a comprehensive ecological perspective in Ma Joad mainly. Her characteristic may be succeeded to her daughter, Rosashan in the last part of this work. Specially, several critic's mentions of her role were very reserved and some critics couldn't understand her act in the novel. However, the study of symbolism for her name with botanical features may help us find the relation between what her role really means and its main theme. Through these examples, we can find that this work reveals a comprehensive ecological perspective embracing both whole eco-systems and individual real life of human-beings. With a comprehensive ecological perspective, his philosophy can be expanded from a personal aspect to a more universal one.