김향숙 소설의 윤리적 주체 연구

Abstract

This paper examines the formation process of an ethical subject and its meaning in Kim Hyang-sook's short stories, “Tunnel of Fire” (1988) and “Sound of Calling” (1986). What is important in the subjectification process of human existence is exploring its identity through relationships with others. The ‘ethical subject’ that Judith Butler focused on can be said to be a concept that shows how a subject can be formed through interaction with all others surrounding existence, that is, through address. If humans can be fundamentally constituted by relationships with others, then the subject is a vulnerable, dependent, opaque being. In order for an opaque subject to become an ethical subject, he or she must be able to acknowledge his or her limitations and adopt an open attitude toward the other, another ‘me.’ And ethics can be formed based on compassion and empathy toward them.
 As a result of analyzing Kim Hyang-sook's novel based on this concept of ethical subject, Unsuk in “Tunnel of Fire” is an opaque subject who is hurt by relationships with others and continues her life by them. In order for Unsuk to have a more expanded perspective on the world, speaking as an act must continue, and the bond of exchange with others must not be lost. However, in the novel, Unsuk expresses the pain of losing his son and the difficulty of talking to his daughter in a situation where even she does not understand him. Of course, silence is also a language that reveals sadness and pain, but it is difficult to view it as an attitude of ethical openness toward others.
 In the case of “Sounds of Calling,” Ungchondaek has continuously denied relationships with others. I thought I could gain peace of mind by not interacting with others. However, in response to her husband appearing in her dreams for the first time in thirty years, she shows change through her murmurs explaining her own life. Ungchondaek recognizes himself as a vulnerable subject through talking to him, and shows his transformation into an ethical subject by accepting a girl who has nowhere to go. Her crying at the end of the work adds to the sense of reality by showing that recognition and care for others is not easy.