D. H. 로렌스의 「공주」와 제임스 조이스의 「가슴 아픈 사건」에 나타난 소통 실패의 양상

The Failures of Mutual Understanding in "The Princess" and "A Painful Case"

D. H. Lawrence's "The Princess" shares a lot of common elements with James Joyce's "A Painful Case," among which the most conspicuous one is that the two texts deal with the failures in relationships. The princess, the main character in "The Princess," is controlled by her father, who boasts of his royal blood from Scotland, and lives an isolated life. So she is always "grown up" and "childish" at the same time. Duffy who is the main character in "A Painful Case" also lives an isolated life, which is derived from his self-centeredness. He despises the shallowness of Dublin and its people. So he does not want any friend or any companion. Thus, like the princess who shows strange virginity, Duffy reveals lifelessness. However, after her father's death the princess is attracted to a Mexican man who reveals powerful strength. Thus she tempts and leads him to a sexual intercourse. In a sense, she enters into an actual relationship with others, especially with a man, and becomes a true woman out of "a pictured woman." But, at that moment, she realizes that she must keep her own independence from the man, Romeo. So she refuses to yield to him. As a result, Romeo is shot to death by a gun which symbolizes the imperial military power. Her relationship with Romeo reflects complicated aspects such as gender issue, the hegemony of the relationship, and the imperial political power. Duffy also experiences exaltation from the relationship with Mrs. Sinico, who becomes his "confessor" and provides "the motherly affection" to him. Duffy expresses his inner thoughts without reserve, and shares his intelligence and ideas with her. In the process, he recovers his vitality and warmth. Like the princess, however, he also hears his inner voice insisting on his own loneness and resisting to giving up his independence. So he also cuts off his relationship with Mrs. Sinico, when she reveals her physical desire for him. After four years, she commits suicide. Duffy's relationship with her also shows complicated issues such as gender and the political power.