한국전쟁 포로소설과 젠더, 모성주의, 국가안보

Abstract

This paper explores how gender, sexuality, momism and national security are intertwined in the POW fictions of the Korean War, revealing the blurred demarcation line of the private and the public during the Cold War era. Works such as Night and Valley of Fire reveal the weakened manhood of the soldiers who were brainwashed or easily succumbed to the enemy during their imprisonment. The novels commonly attribute their weakness to materialism and spiritual corruption prevalent in the society, in addition to mass media including TV. Moreover, a social critic like Phillip Wily provokes the polemical idea of “Momism” which was ardently circulated among some male circles. In Manchurian Candidate, momism is integrated into incest and homosexuality,epitomized by Raymond and his mother. The novel illustrates how momism can be dangerous to national security and devastate the growth of manhood. Mrs. Iselin, a masculinized middle-aged woman, becomes a ‘monster’ whose overweening desire for power overrides any maternal concern for her son. Such ‘monstrosity’ exposes the danger of a woman who can castrate a man and manipulate a society. To a certain extent, the same tendency can be found in Turncoat and Night. Both novels reveal how the love of mother brings detrimental impact on boys who become prey to the communist’s brainwashing in the POW camps. In short, the POW novels betray society’s patriarchal concerns with women’s emerging power threatening its ideology.