『나목』에 나타난 여성 혐오와 사랑의 양상 = Misogyny and Aspects of Love represented in Namok

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article aims to examine the socialization process and gender consciousness of the main character, Lee Kyung, focusing on Park Wan-seo's debut work, Namok. The PX, which appears in the background of the work, is a place that makes Lee Kyung feel proud as an economic subject, and is also a problematic space in that misogyny and the commodification of women are rampant.
Lee Kyung meets several people at her PX. First, the inevitable failure of her meeting with the American soldier, Jo, can be interpreted as resistance to his dichotomous view of women as a ‘maid from a foster home’ and a ‘prostitute.’ However, this misogynistic view is also revealed in Lee Kyung herself. Lee Kyung discovers that Diana Kim, whom he thought was a corrupt woman, is actually a kind mother. Diana Kim’s heterogeneous appearance clearly exposes the falsity of the dichotomy of ‘mother’ vs. ‘prostitute’ maintained by patriarchal society.
In the work, the characters who have a special relationship with Lee Kyung are Ok Hee-do and Hwang Tae-soo. If Lee Kyung’s feelings for Ok Hee-do are close to agape love, her feelings for Hwang Tae-su can be seen as eros love. However, the possibility of two seemingly contradictory aspects of love can also be said to be an effect of the PX space.
The ending, in which Lee Kyung chooses Hwang Tae-soo as her spouse, could be read as a continuation of an old plot and a passive choice for a stable life. However, it is appropriate to interpret this as an embodiment of erotic love that emphasizes the rational aspect. Namok can be said to be a useful work that captures the topography of gender awareness in Korean society during the Korean War.