오에 켄자부로(大江健三郎) 『싹 훑기 아이 사냥(芽むしり仔撃ち)』의 ‘조선인’상

Abstract

This paper analyzes how Koreans are portrayed in Oe Kenzaburo’s early novels focusing on Weeding Out, Hunting for Children (『芽むしり仔撃ち』) published in Gunzo(『群像』) in June,1958. Oe Kenzaburo, representing a democratic view after World War II in Japan, rethinks and reflects on the war and its aftermath by contrasting the image of Koreans with that of Japanese in “captivity.” In contrast to the post-war Japanese youth who feels helpless, a Korean boy is depicted as having a sturdy physique even though he lives in a poor Korean village and is alienated like a lump in the body. When the Korean boy first meets with Japanese boys, he is called an enemy or an outsider Korean. They get close over time and he starts to get called his proper name, Yi (李). This tells that he is recognized with his identity and becomes an insider. Their relationship changes from enemies to friends, which leads to a festival. The Korean Yi as an outsider in the text where there is a clear distinction between inside and outside can be seen as an ambiguous existence that not only neutralizes the binary opposition, but also breaks down the boundaries across the border. Considering the minority status of Koreans in Japan, we find the special meaning of Oe’s creation of the Korean character Yi in the postwar Japanese literature. Solidarity with the Korean boy highlights the positive aspects of being human. Innocence the boys show in the hunt festival that Yi initiates contrasts with selfishness, hypocrisy and exclusiveness that adults reveal in a warlike special situation. Oe seems to be conscious of Koreans in Japan who are close and provide good sources for his novels. Furthermore, Oe envisions the Korean as an alternative image to the Japanese, and through this experimentation he constantly attempts to see objectively the problems of the nation.