earticle

영어

The purpose of this study is to examine the ecological consciousness in “The Bear”, one of the works by William Faulkner that shows his conspicuous interest in nature. Faulkner's ecological consciousness began to manifest the local environment of the Southern America where he lived. In the work, the author places a higher value than a mere geological setting on the Southern region, his hometown. Moreover, he is exploring the conditions of historical and social life in the Southern region as a specific place, where agriculture was the major industry. And the natural environment of the dense forest, one of the main features of the area, which arouses ecological consciousness, has an important meaning in his work. “The Bear” reveals Faulkner’s ecological vision in three phases. Firstly, Faulkner depicts Ike as a character who shows the deepest introspection about the relationship with the nature, and as an ecological character who tries to put into action a sense of responsibility for the land and others, which he realized as he lived in the nature. Secondly, considering that Ike, who realized his grandfather's guilt, gave up inheritance owing to his experiences of the woods and bear-hunting, Faulkner's ecological consciousness reveals itself more effectively in the relationship between Old Ben and the forest. Therefore, the relationship suggests that relations in Mother Nature are not antagonistic but circular. Lastly, the natural world forms a system with everything interconnected, not disconnected. Thus, for Faulkner the nature is not a closed system to which nobody has access but a fully open communication space. In conclusion, “The Bear” stresses that the nature and human beings harmonize with each other in circular relation, not in confrontational relation. Above all, it can be said that the author's true insight into the nature shown in the work is the base on which the author's ecological consciousness can be discovered.