인종차별과 폭력에 유린당한 몸과 치유적 공존: 워커의 『나의 동반자의 신전』과 모리슨의 『신이여 그 아이를 도우소서』를 중심으로

Abstract

This study investigates the bodies of the protagonists and other characters that have been wounded by racism and violence, and the affective memories embedded within them, including discrimination, exclusion, sexual violence, and guilt focused on Alice Walker’s The Temple of My Familiar and Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child. In The Temple of My Familiar, each character seeks to heal emotional wounds by recounting past experiences or engaging in artistic expression. Their healing is not based on reason or conscious intention, but arises through affective experiences—spontaneous flows of emotion, bodily encounters, and connection with others. Art making, solidarity with the community, and communion with nature become key moments for generating positive affect and regaining emotional strength. Arveyda’s music, the bell performances by Carlotta and her mother Zede, the paintings by Lissie and Mr. Hal, and the stories written by Suwelo serve both as a reflection on lost pasts and as healing rituals, representing individual and collective struggles to chart a path toward future life. In God Help the Child, Morrison underscores that racism, violence, and sexism continue to define women’s lives. Through Bride’s emotionally charged bodily experiences, Morrison portrays how she, rejected due to her skin color, overcomes past trauma and becomes an affective subject capable of human empathy and communal values shared with Booker, Queen, and Rain. These two works thus construct a discourse of healing rooted in an ethics of interdependence. Walker and Morrison meticulously depict the power of affect beyond the conscious realm—that is, the pain that cannot be articulated in language, the resonating wounds and grief between individuals, and the possibilities for solidarity and recovery that arise from these encounters. By portraying the suffering and trauma of African Americans denied recognition as full human beings in American society, they seek to correct historical injustices and denounce persistent racism, (sexual) violence, and cultural exclusion. Ultimately, both authors pursue a vision of “mutual healing coexistence,” where individuals live harmoniously and with dignity within their communities.