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The Method and Motives for the Awareness of Nation in Yeom Sang seop’s Novels after the Liberation

  • Korean Language & Literature
  • 2009, (68), pp.381-409
  • Publisher : Korean Language & Literature
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature

Ahn Miyoung 1

1경북대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The present study was focused on the method and motives for the awareness of nation in Yeom Sang‐seop’s novels written after the liberation. Yeom Sang‐seop greeted the liberation in Manchuria, and came to Seoul via Sineuiju in 1946. His novels after the liberation can be divided into two periods, 1946~1947 and around 1948. In novels written during 1946~1947, Yeom Sang‐seop expresses his range and represents the ideology of nationalism. In A Son of Liberation and A Footprint Left on the Buttocks, Yeom Sang‐seop captures the grief of Japanese as the people of a defeated country. He reveals retribution against Japanese and exposes ethnic nationalism together. In addition, he displays linguistic nationalism by showing the status of the Korean language in comparison with the Japanese language, which fell to a minor language. In 1948, Yeom Sang‐seop recognizes the reality of the divided country. While he was delightful with the liberation and optimistic for the future of the nation during 1946~1947, his national consciousness is heightened as he looks straight at the reality of the divided country. He awakens the unity of the people as a blood community by being aware of the 38th parallel, and appeals for the emotional cohesion of the people by realizing ‘the nation.’ After the liberation, Yeom Sang‐seop speculates about the categories of blood relative, language, family, territory (38th parallel), and nation (state) as mechanisms showing national identity. A series of categories are revealed as strong patriotism including ethnic nationalism and linguistic nationalism in Yeom Sang‐seop’s novels after the liberation. Through this, we can see that, after the liberation, Yeom Sang‐seop speculated about the nation more intently than ever. In the sense that Yeom Sang‐seop’s novels after the liberation emphasize the ideology of nationalism more intensely than ever, his ‘neutrality’ after the liberation professes lonely national consciousness of an intellect in the 3rd world who tries to keep a distance from the U.S. and the U.S.S.R without inclining to either.

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