This paper examines the aspects of “saving lives” (활인) and the perception of transmission among narrators in the folktale The Man Who Took in the Leper Maiden. The tale revolves around a female character, abandoned by her family due to leprosy, who encounters a man and his family on the road. Thanks to their care, she is eventually brought back to health. In this tale, the aspects of “saving lives” are analyzed from the following two aspects: “treating her as a human” and “providing practical care.” First, “treating her as a human” involves the male character approaching the leper maiden, who was abandoned even by her family, without hesitation. He engages her in conversation, walks alongside her, and sleeps with her. He treats her not as a leper but as a human being. Although the male character might not have intended it, his actions—accepting the “leper body,” which was shunned and isolated—instilled in the female character a strong desire for life. Meanwhile, “providing practical care” includes all the actions that helped the maiden survive, recover from her illness, and regain normalcy. This ranged from taking the homeless maiden into their home and providing her with meals and medicinal food. The narrative especially focuses on the “process of obtaining medicinal substances” by the male character, while the care activities of the female character are not elaborately described, except in versions narrated by female narrators. The maiden's recovery from her illness is depicted as “shedding her skin,” symbolizing her “social rebirth.” She re-enters the community, regains her lost position, unveils her hidden abilities, and restores her status as a social being. This type of tale can vary, depending on the sex and individual characteristics of the narrators, revealing diverse perceptions of the leper and the issue of accepting and embracing them. Female narrators particularly emphasize the care activities of the female character, portraying them prominently in the narrative. By directly expressing the voice of the leper maiden regarding the care provided by the wife, they also highlight the “emotional bond formed through the caregiving relationship.” The female narrator’s tendency to depict such narratives can be interpreted as a reflection of her experiential perception that considers women as primary caregivers. Meanwhile, some narratives depict the relationships between male family members and the maiden as “reciprocal relationships” and “family relationships.” This variation is a reflection of the narrator’s ethical burden to accept the leprous maiden under the premise of “human compassion and duty.”
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