1950년대 이호철 소설 연구

Abstract

The novels by Lee Ho-cheol in 1950s are complexly represented immaturity, instability and isolation of youth, caused by loss of hometown and by separation from family. This study analyzed Escaping Home and sequel-like novels of Escaping Home among his novels in 1950s, focusing on issue of mourning or melancholy on ‘lost hometown,’ and aspects of male and female characters. The lost hometown exist excessively as melancholic object in these novels. In addition, such an excessive existence lasts by calling on mother. In this situation, male characters prefer being content with present immaturity and delaying to being subject. Also male characters reveal self-pity and tears by insisting on seeing themselves only through the eyes of their mothers. Meanwhile, female characters stand on their own feet, by leveraging prostitution and entertainment. The female characters are the images of pseudo- mother in that they take care of the poor male characters in the novels. Especially the female north Korean refugee, who was a girl student in North Korea, shows woman’s epic about war and separation and she is re-created as a figure maintaining ‘dignity’ despite her corruption. In Lee Ho-cheol’s novels, immature man and corrupted woman become subjects as members of society and family by marriage. It is the result of man’s desire to realize hegemonic masculinity within patriarchal system and woman’s desire to wash off previous decadence by realizing the ideal of good wife and wise mother. Moreover, such a marriage between immature man and corrupted woman let them escape from the instability and symbolically belong to new nation, the Republic of Korea, and new living place out of North Korea.