KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study examines Wi Jideok and Baek Yang in <Boeungiwoorok>. As a task for it, this author looks into the meaning of fatherhood. <Boeungiwoorok> takes father Wi and father Baek with no maternal instinct as its background. It talks about two fathers equipped with problematic fatherhood. Wi Jideok’s fatherhood is realized through violence. Wi Jideok beat his son, Wi Yeoncheong, severely almost to death. Baek Yang tried to teach his daughter, Baek Seungseol, about benevolence. He ordered the guard to treat the prisoner properly. The prisoner escaped from prison, and Baek Yang went into exile. After this incident, Baek Seungseol had to be in trouble. Although Wi Jideok and Baek Yang’s fatherhoods seem different, they are the same as a matter of fact as both are losing their balance. Wi Jideok’s fatherhood formed a cause of conflict as he lost his balance between loving his son and having to teach him. Baek Yang’s fatherhood lets us know the fatherhood Wi Yeoncheong is going to have later analogically. Baek Yang adhered to poor but honest living, and this was the same in Wi Yeoncheong’s life. Yet, Baek Yang’s daughter, Baek Seungseol, was prearranged as Wi Yeoncheong’s spouse. It means that the fatherhood Wi Yeoncheong is going to be equipped with will be in balance through Baek Seungseol unlike Baek Yang. Wi Jideok’s problematic fatherhood exhibited in the situation of having no spouse reveals the roles of a mother who tries to keep balance between the father and son. Baek Yang’s fatherhood shown where there is no spouse reveals the roles of a mother as a father’s adviser. <Boeungiwoorok>employs the absence of a mother and problematic fatherhood as devices to tell us the roles and importance of a mother.

Myeonghaengjeonguirok, mammonism, Baek Yang, fatherhood, father, Wi Yeoncheong, Wi Jideok, poor but honest living.