『숲의 호수에서』: 남성성과 은폐의 한계

Abstract

Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods presents such conventional themes O'Brien has dealt with as masculinity, family trouble, father-son relationship, and courage, this time in relation to the notion of trauma. What is of more importance in this text is that O'Brien compares the individual's life orbit with that of America, and tries to portray the similar fates for both individual and the nation. The social pressure of masculinity for boys proves sometimes fatal to some, who are incapable of following the conventional ways society expects from boys. Consequently, those who think unfit for conventionally expected code of conduct will have to find a substitute way to fulfill social expectation. Sometimes, that way will consist of deception or denial of the present given, to create another world of imagination in which he can fully exercise his masculinity in his own way. And quite often, such person is likely to experience fits of violence when things are thought to be beyond the reach of his control. The protagonist John Wade, facing pressure of masculinization from his own father, creates his own world through his denial of reality and magic by which he can control himself and his surroundings by transforming the unpleasant into the desirable. Such alternative reality, however, has very limited effect, for it is based on deception. In Vietnam, when he is in circumstances over which he has no control at all, he tries to erase his existence at that particular place. After returning home, he has led a very prominent career in politics until his secret past is revealed. He has no choice when facing such threats, and it is to erase his being as well as that of his wife which he thinks is another threat against his sense of control. O'Brien connects this individual history of deception with that of the United States since its beginning, with the numerous examples of genocide both in and out of America. What makes O'Brien outraged is the fact that American people are very easy to forget the horrible incidents occurred not only outside of America but also inside of their own land. He interprets this as willful forgetfulness for the sake of persevering the so-called their masculine tradition even though it ends in horrible results. O'Brien seems to ask American people if they will meet the tragic fate like John Wade due to the perverted masculine tradition. And there seems to be no other choice as of now.