오거스트 윌슨의 『일곱 대의 기타』에 나타난 과거의 환상과 현실 직시의 문제

Putting the Past in Perspective Leads to Self Acceptance in August Wilson's Seven Guitars

August Wilson primarily describes the problems with sticking to the past and facing to reality in Seven Guitars. In order to project his active voice, he suggests Afro-Americans should accept the past for the future with balanced and unbiased views. His characters, Floyd and Hedley, are captured by the past and delusion denying that things have changed in the American society. The reason why Wilson treats the individual's past more importantly in this play is that it could be shared among the Afro-Americans and move up to American society. Floyd and Hedley remain living in the past and their illusion. They don't want to change their perspectives on American society because their thoughts and eyes are always right. Floyd is willing to go back to Chicago. He suggests that if he goes back to Chicago, he can solve problems, and again money, success, and honours. He does not want to live in Pittsburgh because he sticks to the illusion that only going back to Chicago will make him live well and comfortable. That means that he has no adaptability nor flexibility in reality. He is the invisible man in American society. Hedley also lives in the prison of the past. He suffers from the tuberculosis but rejects modern medicine because he has a strong belief that only traditional prescriptions can save him. He does not want to move to the sanatorium for better remedies. He thinks that he will die at the sanatorium. His father was sick and died because the white people did not take care of him although he asked for the doctor. That's why he is planning to gain revenge against the White people. Even worse, he has a delusion that he is Christ and the leader of the Black People. That phantasm makes him kill Floyd and cause tragedy. On the other hand, Only Canewell has objective eyes and could criticize other characters. He is trying to give some ideas to Floyd and Floyd should ask for his right and reward for his ability before he starts to work and play with his guitar at the club. Canewell considers the past of Afro-Americans to be one of the most important factors. However. He thinks that if the future generation receives the past of Afro-American history wrongly, an unexpected situation could occur for the whole of American society. Wilson suggests that the voice of Canewell is very productive for the next generation and the way of his accepting the past could be different from the case of Floyd and Hedley. Wilson allows his characters to speak with various voices but divides them into two types which are the warning ones and the suggestive ones.