본고에서는 전쟁 중 일방적으로 피해자의 입장에 놓일 수밖에 없었던 일반인, 특히 여성들이 전쟁에 어떻게 대처해 나갔는지 그 양상을 살펴보았다. 건국 초부터 禮를 통해 여성의 일과 性的 활동에 통제를 강화해 나갔던 조선 사회에서, 그것도 국가 환란기에 여성들이 선택할 수 있는 대응 방식은 상당히 제한적이었다. 戰時下에서 士大夫家의 여인들은 상황이 급박해지면 貞操를 지키기 위해 자결을 택하고, 동일한 상황에서 살아남은 남자들은 그녀들의 죽음을 애통해하며 시로써 그녀들의 절개를 기린다. 남자들에게는 처자식을 외면해서라도 살아남아야 할 명분이 마련되어 있고, 여자들에게는 죽음을 불사하고 지켜야 할 정조가 무엇보다 우선이었기 때문이다. 그런데 이렇게 남자가 생존해야 할 이유와 여자가 죽어야 하는 이유가 역설적이게도 동일한 데 근거를 두고 있다. 그것은 바로 조선 사회가 가부장제 윤리를 바탕으로 체제를 이끌어가는 유교 국가였기 때문이다.한편, 전쟁 중 자식들이 죽음을 불사하면서 老母를 보호하는 모습을 쉽게 찾아볼 수 있는데, 이들의 행동은 일차적으로 자연적이고 원초적인 인간 감정으로 해석할 수 있다. 그러나 그러한 감정과 희생적 행동이 처자식을 포함하여 다른 가족에게는 발휘되지 않으면서 유독 老母에 경도되어 나타나고 있는 것은 孝를 강조하던 당대 유교 이념의 강화 결과라고 볼 수 있다. 효의 구현 대상으로 老父가 아닌 老母가 선택된 것은 전쟁이라는 폭력적 상황에서 절대 弱體로서 극적 대비 효과를 수반하기 때문이다. 또한 남편이 아내의 자결을 예견하거나 목도하면서도 방치할 수밖에 없었던 이유도 가부장제 윤리를 바탕으로 한 가문의 존폐 문제로 귀속된다. 여자들이 생명을 유지하거나 자결을 결심할 때 아이들이 고려 대상으로 언급되지 않는 것 또한 같은 맥락에서 이해할 수 있다. 조선 시대 여성은 죽어야 節義를 인정받고 표창 받아 자식을 포함한 가문에 영광을 드리울 수 있었기 때문이다. 그렇지 않은 경우 失節의 진상 여부에 상관없이 가문에서 축출되거나 자식에게조차 외면당하는 현실에 당면하게 된다. 여기에서 조선시대 여성에게 주어진 모든 권리가 婦節을 전제로 한 것임을 확인할 수 있다.

In this essay, I intend to examine that civilians, especially women, coped with the two wars(壬辰倭亂,丁酉再亂). They couldn't help escaping enemies and should be only victims. Chosun Dynasty had controled strongly the work and sexual activities of women with the courtesy禮 from the founding of the Dynasty. What is worse, it was very limited to choose for women in the particularly circumstance at war times. They had few ways of life under war. The noble ladies decided to suicide in order to remain their fidelity in emergency. Men who survived admired the death and fidelity of them with writing poetry. It was the best virtue for men to succeed to family line. On the other hand, there wasn't better justification for women than fidelity. Ironically, it was the same reason for men to have to survive and for women to have to die. Because the Chosun Dynasty was an Confucian nation and stood on the basis of patriarchy. Under war, sons should protect their mother at the risk of death and husbands should persuade and connive with suicide of their wives. Because the full blooded succession of a family is the best virtue in the patriarchal society. It was the same reason that women didn't consider their children when they chose to live or die. Because of suicide, their fidelity was recognize and rewarded. It was an honorable thing for their family. Losing virginal purity was one of the reason of the expulsion from family and of the neglecting from sons and daughters. In this discussion, we can certify that the all rights of women presupposed their fidelity.

In this essay, I intend to examine that civilians, especially women, coped with the two wars(壬辰倭亂,丁酉再亂). They couldn't help escaping enemies and should be only victims. Chosun Dynasty had controled strongly the work and sexual activities of women with the courtesy禮 from the founding of the Dynasty. What is worse, it was very limited to choose for women in the particularly circumstance at war times. They had few ways of life under war. The noble ladies decided to suicide in order to remain their fidelity in emergency. Men who survived admired the death and fidelity of them with writing poetry. It was the best virtue for men to succeed to family line. On the other hand, there wasn't better justification for women than fidelity. Ironically, it was the same reason for men to have to survive and for women to have to die. Because the Chosun Dynasty was an Confucian nation and stood on the basis of patriarchy. Under war, sons should protect their mother at the risk of death and husbands should persuade and connive with suicide of their wives. Because the full blooded succession of a family is the best virtue in the patriarchal society. It was the same reason that women didn't consider their children when they chose to live or die. Because of suicide, their fidelity was recognize and rewarded. It was an honorable thing for their family. Losing virginal purity was one of the reason of the expulsion from family and of the neglecting from sons and daughters. In this discussion, we can certify that the all rights of women presupposed their fidelity.

Japanese Invasions of Korean in 1592, 1597(壬辰倭亂,丁酉再亂), patriarchism, women, fidelity