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Through the Eyes of a Young Adult scrap
by Yun Ko-eun
November 2, 2021
Faced with the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity has finally begun to reflect on its anthropocentrism and seek a way out. When we talk about anthropocentrism or a human-centered worldview, “human” usually implies “adult.” Rethinking this adult-centered perspective can help humanity to resolve the dilemma it faces. The adolescent gaze may in fact be the key to dismantling our center-periphery belief system and bringing about much-needed restoration around the world.
For a long time, Korean literature was centered around adults, meaning that the lives of adolescents and young adults were depicted according to the adults’ idealized vision. However, recent efforts have been made to reject this objectification by adults and establish young people as the agents of their stories. YA writers are trying to expand their readership by adopting the characteristics of digital media and depicting the growth and adventures young people experience as they make their way through the world on their own and cry out against the outmoded ideas of the previous generation.
Adolescence is generally understood as a transitional phase prior to entering adulthood. Yet this stage in life does not exist merely to churn out adults. Adolescents exist in an “in-between” time. A closer look into events that occur during this “in-between” time leads us to realize that our entire life is a succession of “processes.” If we retain the perspective we had as a young adult, we will be able to understand that it is this unpredictability of an uncertain and vague life that is in fact what has meaning, rather than a life set out by others. What’s more, by choosing the best path for ourselves, we will be able to accrue more strength to continue carrying on in life.
Literature for adolescents in Korea traditionally focused on growing up, but the meaning of growth has recently undergone subtle changes. Yuwon, by Baek Ohn-yu (Changbi, 2020), is a traditional coming-of-age story. The eponymous protagonist is a teenager who survived a fire at her apartment building when she was very young with the help of a local man who happened to be at the scene. The protagonist and her parents feel both grateful to and burdened by the man. The parents are unable to refuse any favor the man asks of them, no matter how unreasonable, so the protagonist is left on her own to speak her mind to him. People forge relationships through conversation. The content of the conversation or the relationship between the people conversing can cause them to be circumspect in choosing their words. The scope of words used in a given conversation is affected by many factors, such as the age and gender of those taking part in the conversation as well as the degree of their closeness. In particular, young girls in Korea are taught from an early age to refrain from answering right away to elders but to “read the air” to understand what the senior person actually has in mind.
Writer 필자 소개
Yun Ko-eun
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