Remembrance of the Gwangju Massacre: A Comparative Analysis of There a Petal Silently Falls and Human Acts
Open Access
Author:
Om, Alexi
Area of Honors:
Comparative Literature
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jooyeon Rhee, Thesis Supervisor Linda Istanbulli, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
South Korea Gwangju Uprising Political Protest Political Demonstration Ghostly Apparitions Historical Trauma Gendered Violence A Petal that Silently Falls Human Acts
Abstract:
Between May 18th and 27th, 1980, the Gwangju Uprising, held by local citizens and students, was a mass protest against the South Korean military government that took place in the city of Gwangju. In response to the brutal repression of South Korea’s military dictator, Chun Doo-Hwan, the event has been internationally acclaimed and represented as a pivotal movement in South Korean history for the struggle of democratic reform. Examining the literary representations of the Gwangju Uprising, this paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of Choe Yun’s There a Petal Silently Falls and Han Kang’s Human Acts. Firstly, I provide a theoretical framework drawing from Avery Gordon’s Ghostly Matters to examine how the concept of ghosts and the haunting empowers marginalized victims of state-sanctioned violence. Secondly, I discuss and apply Cathy Caruth’s Unclaimed Experience of how trauma re-evaluates history as fragmented, complex experiences, exploring the psychoanalytic theories of traumatic experiences and language of literature in historical fiction. Lastly, I analyze the representation of female protagonists in both novels and its themes portraying the relationship between gender and violence. Through this comparative analysis, the paper hopes to highlight the complexities of commemorating the Gwangju Uprising and its relevance to the ongoing struggle for justice and historical truth.
