대상a에서 미끄러지는 증환적 응시 주체로서의 ‘영혜’ -한강의 『채식주의자』에 대한 징후적 독해-

초록

This paper aims to redefine the status of Young-hye in The Vegetarian(채식주의자) by Han Gang(한강). While existing studies have predominantly dealt with Young-hye(영혜) within the oppressive structures and conflicts of the Symbolic order, this paper focuses on how Young-hye’s existence fractures the Symbolic order and reveals the truth of the Real. To explore this, the discussion delves into the misalignment between the eye and the gaze within the scopic field. Young-hye’s husband, her brother-in-law, and In-hye(인혜) act as focalizers(narrators) objectifying Young-hye. Their gaze attempts to otherize her and turn her into an objet petit a. However, paradoxically, this process exposes their own desires, jouissance, defense mechanisms, fears, and dependency on the big Other. This signifies that their eye is returned as the gaze, ultimately proving that Young-hye is the subject of the gaze. The misunderstandings surrounding Young-hye serve as evidence that their own desires and fantasies are being challenged by Young-hye’s existence. Here, In-hye holds a different position compared to Young-hye’s husband or brother-in-law. In-hye continuously perceives Young-hye’s gaze and experiences inner division. Until the end of the novel, In-hye maintains the tension between accepting and resisting Young-hye’s gaze. This not only reiterates that Young-hye embodies the truth of the Real as the subject of the gaze but also suggests the possibility of In-hye’s transformation. This is evident even in the titles. It is because The Vegetarian is a misnaming of Yeong-hye by her husband, who misreads her, and Mongolian Mark signifies that Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law reduces her to an object a of artistic desire, but Flaming Trees is an image of the Real that arises at the point where In-hye’s eye and Yeong-hye’s gaze intersect. Until the very end, Yeong-hye embraces her symptom, transitioning into the subject of sinthome. Her utterances mark traces of the Real, which cannot be translated within the system of symbolic language, and as such, they act as signals that disrupt the Symbolic Order. Young-hye can be seen not only as a character resisting symbolic violence but also as a subject who reveals the gaps of the Real that the Symbolic order seeks to conceal and repress. Above all, the conclusion of Flaming Trees, In-hye’s perception of the gaze of the Real that appeared inside the ambulance, can be said to imply the hope of redefining her relationship with Yeong-hye, who refuses to relinquish her position as the subject of sinthome.

키워드