황석영 소설 『해질 무렵』에 나타난 세대 문제

초록

This paper aims to explore the meaning of generational perception as represented in Hwang Seok-young’s novel At Dusk (2015). Both prior to and following its publication, Hwang revealed through interviews and conversations that the contradictions of modernization and the plight of the urban poor—central concerns of his literary engagement since the 1970s—remain persistent issues in his writing. His project of linking the “faults of the older generation” with the “realities of the younger generation” holds its own significance, but it also can be subject to critical review as it carries the risk of explaining today’s inequality only as a consequence of the faults of the older generation and developmental dictatorship. Based on this perspective, this study aims to derive both the significance and the limitations of the intergenerational connections highlighted in the novel by analyzing the differing historical contexts in which each generation is situated. It was possible to confirm the author's critical awareness that the violent discipline internalized by the older generation during the developmental dictatorship period leads to a continuous national violence that damages the existence of contemporary urban poor. The novel also depicts existential problems faced by the younger generation in neoliberal era, focusing on uncertainty in labor and relationships. The problems of the older and younger generations align with the author's consciousness of moving towards an ethical practice of coexistence. However, this consistent authorial consciousness, while offering the significance of viewing Hwang Seok-young's literary world in terms of unity, also possesses the limitation of failing to clearly present the connection of generational issues by reverting to the theme of "Uprooted".

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