William Faulkner’sTranscendental Hero inAbsalom, Absalom!

Abstract

나의연구는대표적인초월주의자 중 한 사람인랄프왈도에머슨에의해시작된 초월주의를윌리엄포크너의“조금넘어서”에의미를두고분석한다. 포크너의압 살롬, 압살롬에서주인공인토마스서트펜은미국의초월적영웅이다. 포크너는 이 작품에서서트펜의자유의지와노동에 대한 태도를 "현실에서조금넘어선" 것으로묘사함으로써그의초월주의를확립한다. 작가는서트펜에게초월적인영 웅의특성뿐만아니라인간적인약점을부여함으로써주인공을현실에근거한초 월적영웅으로설정한다. 본 연구는서트펜으로하여금”설계“하도록몰아가는그 의자유의지에대하여탐색한다. 즉, 그의자유의지는그를사회의최하층에서최 고위층으로끌어올리며, 이는보통사람들의사고방식을조금넘어서는초월적인 자유의지이다. 백 평방마일의미개척지를개간하고“서트펜의헌드레드”라고명 명한화려한저택을짓는극도로고된노동에흑인노예들과함께참여함으로써증 명되는서트펜의노동에 대한 태도역시주변에있는보통사람들의역량을조금넘 어서는것으로묘사된다. 그가관여하면전통적인노동법은무시되고, 현실을조 금넘어서는매우성공적으로개혁된노동법이시작된다. 동시에서트펜에게인간 적약점을부여함으로써포크너는에머슨의 이 가진초월에 대한 개념인초월주 의의불완전함을이어간다. 그의자유의지, 노동, 그리고약점은“현실을조금넘 어서는”것으로서의초월주의를확립했다.|My research examines William Faulkner's transcendentalism as “a little beyond” which is initiated by one of the leading transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Absalom, Absalom!, Faulkner's protagonist Thomas Sutpen is an American transcendental hero. Faulkner establishes Sutpen's transcendentalism in this novel by depicting his free will and his attitude toward labor which are “a little beyond realistic.” Aside from the transcendental heroic characteristics, the author imposes some humanistic weaknesses on Sutpen, which realistically establishes the protagonist as a transcendental hero. This research investigates Sutpen's free will which drives him to make a "design “. In other words, his free will takes him from the lowest level to the peak of society which is a little beyond the mindset of the common people and therefore transcendental. Sutpen's attitude to labor is also depicted as a little beyond the capacity of his surrounding ordinary people, as evidenced by his participation in extremely hard labor with his Negro slaves while planting a hundred square miles of virgin land and building an ostentatious mansion named "Sutpen's Hundred." His involvement breaks the conventional labor law and he initiates a highly successful reformed labor law which is a little beyond realistic. In parallel, by imposing human weaknesses in Sutpen, Faulkner follows the Emersonian transcendental concept of imperfection of transcendentalism. Altogether his free will, labor, and weaknesses established his transcendentalism as “a little beyond realistic”.