도피이론을 통해 본 <더 웨일>의 섭식장애와 죽음의 의미

초록

This study analyzes the severe obesity and disordered eating behaviors of Charlie, the protagonist of Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale—which has been produced both as a play and a film—through psychological and socio-cultural lenses. Utilizing Baumeister’s escape theory, this paper investigates the correlation between Charlie’s eating disorder and his eventual death. The Whale chronicles the final five-day journey of Charlie, a 600-pound man suffering from fatal congestive heart failure. While the core narrative remains consistent across both mediums, Charlie’s condition is illuminated from distinct angles that reflect the unique characteristics of each form. Whereas the play primarily focuses on the internal psychological factors underlying his condition, the film visualizes his physical form and emphasizes negative socio-cultural reactions to his appearance. The playwright, Hunter, declined to explicitly state his intentions regarding the polarized critical reception—which oscillates between compassion and disgust surrounding Charlie’s obesity. However, this paper utilizes the six stages of escape theory to uncover the complementary mechanisms of eating disorder and death depicted in the play and film, thereby raising a meaningful challenge to the social gaze that otherizes obesity.

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