이디스 워튼의 『반마취 상태』에 나타난 과잉활동의 치유 가능성

Hyperactivities as a Possibility for Healing in Edith Wharton's Twilight Sleep

The 1920s in America was swayed by materialistic consumerism and swift scientific developments. People tended to focus on external activities which were not accompanied by internal spiritual values. In Edith Wharton's Twilight Sleep, Pauline Manford spends her time in doing numerous daily activities which do not deliver mental satisfaction and stability between family members. This paper examines whether Pauline's strenuous efforts to manage her life by filling daily life with hyperactivities can be interpreted as a therapeutic attempt to cope with the painful reality of modern life. On the one hand, Pauline's lifestyle filled with excessive activities is a mere pursuit of oblivion and escape isolated from reality, which is similar to a state under the influence of anesthetic 'twilight sleep'. On the other hand, however, her unceasing efforts to lead a busy life doing various activities may be seen as an attempt to heal pain and resolve discord. Individuals are inevitably subject to dominant social ideologies, but they can also voluntarily endeavor to transcend the subjected position. In the last chapter, family members are scattered all over abroad. This ending may not necessarily emphasize the subjected position of characters who cannot escape from reality. Rather, it may show that the characters attempt to go beyond the limited position to explore a possibility for healing themselves.