노년의 시간성과 자긍심의 정치적 가능성

Political Possibility of Temporality and Self-Esteem in Old Age: Focused on Old Age Novel by Park Wan Seo

This article sheds light on the marginalization of elderly characters in Wan-Seo Park's novels about old age, a phenomenon attributed to their illness and disability. The elderly characters find themselves ensnared in the normative time path, helplessly subjected to the violence of preemptive attack and alienation imposed upon them. On the other hand, some people recognize aging as a disease and disability and even embrace their identity as a person with a disability. This article analyzes the intersectionality of aging and disability and explore the potential for resistance among those who confront discriminatory violence through temporal and affective lenses. In 「Twilight」, an elderly character is referred to as “old man” in a preemptive manner that compels them to acknowledge his shameful existence. Through this, it was affirmed that life in old age is governed by the impact of existential power, which preemptively controls and manages society and culture as a whole. In contrast, the characters in 「Reunion of Evening」 and 「The Twilight at Dusk」 derive the strength to embrace themselves by means of positivity and pride in their own bodies. This study has found that the affirmation of the ‘sick body’ and appropriation of the sense of heterogeneity or queerness within the community can be a means of resisting the violence of healing. Wan-Seo Park's novel about aging attempts to challenge the dominant system that excludes the sick elderly body by redefining the female body. Moreover, the suggestion is put forth that when the elderly body is acknowledged as an entity with its own temporality, the perception of disability identity in old age can undergo a transformation.