샘 셰퍼드의『매장된 아이』에서 구원의 비전 = The Vision of Salvation in Sam Shepard`s Buried Child

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Sam Shepard's Buried Child is considered his best drama. Even though the setting of it appears very realistic, it still contains many elements of absurd drama. The message is not so concrete because the motivation of characters' action can not be verified and sometimes the dialogues which characters speak are contradictory. Therefore, it is not so easy for the readers to understand the meaning of the drama. Some critics argue that there does not exist any hope in the drama, but others comment that they can find some optimism in the drama.
In this thesis, the vision of salvation is investigated in Buried Child The atmosphere of this drama seems to be hopeless but if we analyze the drama in a comprehensive way by unifying images, characters, dialogues, metaphors etc., we can recognize the vision of salvation out of the past curse suggested in the drama.
The cause of curse on the Dodges is incest between Halie, Dodge's wife and Tilden, his eldest son. As soon as the child was born, Dodge drowned it and then buried it on his farm. Because of the curse, the relations among the family collapsed. Husband and wife can not communicate each other. We can expect nothing from the three sons.
However, Vince, Dodge's grandson is a young man who has the positive values of cowboys and can inherit the tradition of the family from Dodge. Also, the plants such as corn and carrots which Tilden brings from the back yard can considered as the symbol of rebirth. The plants mean new life out of the sterile farm. The characters confess and admit their sin and forgiveness and expiation are possible. The last scene presents the striking visual image of the rite of confession.
Buried Child can be a metaphor of American society. In conclusion, Shepard suggests that American society still has a vision of salvation to escape from the present situation through candid acceptance and confession of their past sins.