김용익의 『푸른 씨앗』에 나타난 주체 형성과 차이의 문제

Subjectivity and Difference in Yong-Ik Kim"s Blue in the Seed

&nbsp;&nbsp;Kim Yong Ik is a unique writer in the fields of Korean-American literature and Korean literature. Differently from the majority of Korean American writers who wrote only in English regardless of their proficiency in Korean, he was a genuinely bilingual writer: he published many works in English first and then translated them into Korean by himself.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;However, he was studied enough as a writer neither in America nor in Korea despite the merits of his literary works as evidenced by many literary awards he won and by the fact that his works were translated into many languages, some of which were even included in some school textbooks.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;In this paper, I examine his Blue in the Seed in order to delineate his literary position. In particular, I closely examine motifs and episodes in the text where such themes as subjectivity and difference are dealt with. By doing so, I argue Kim deals with typically American experiences with a story based upon Korean culture. His protagonist is a Korean-albeit a hybrid one as his blue eyes speak - and the story takes place in authentic Korean culture. Kim problematizes the practice of exclusion and alienation within the society the protagonist belongs to resulting from his physical difference. Thus, he asks questions of difference and identity, which are more seriously regarded in American society than in rather homeogenous Korean society. Employing motifs of &quot;growing-up story,&quot; Kim finally makes the protagonist come to terms with his physical difference and affirm his subjectivity.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;I conclude that Kim&quot;s works will gain more importance as the world becomes globalized and more bilingual writers appear on the literary scene. His position as a bilingual writer also questions the uncertain boundaries of nationality and national literatures.