이별과 재회의 양상과 의미 -<춘향전>과 <뱀장어 스튜>의 비교

Abstract

This essay compares a work of classical literature Choon-hyang Jeon and a contemporary novel Eel Stew in terms of the common structure of the two novels, parting and reunion. Parting assumes that there are people who leave and counterparts who are left behind. It is Choon-hyang who waits for her lover enduring predicaments in Choon-hyang Jeon; it is each husband and lover who stays home and waits for the Woman in Eel Stew. On the surface, the Woman in Eel Stew seems to take the initiative by leaving and coming back to her home and her lover's place. Both female characters in the two novels, however, demonstrate that they internalize the male-centered ideology. While Choon-hyang accomplishes the idealized womanhood by keeping chastity and going through hardships, the Woman trapped in the traditional concept of womanhood is not able to perform the idealized woman's role due to the changed environment. Her lover who deserted her in the past and now continues the relationship with the Woman, treats her only as a sexual object and her husband who does not work is incapable of fulfilling the role as the head of the family. Lastly, Choon-hyang reunites and gets married with Mong-ryong Lee; on the other hand, the Woman goes between her husband and her lover until the end. That is, parting for Choon-hyang signifies a prior condition for fruitful relationship; parting for the Woman means the endless cycle of the same relationship which cannot be interrupted.