'The Dwarf Who Shot a Small Ball', which depicts the lives of people marginalized during industrialization, presents characters and events arranged almost unidirectionally. This novel was adapted into a film starring Ahn Sung-ki in 1981. [Source=Video Archive]A State Where Other Readings Are Invisible

Some texts present only one path from the outset. Readers are destined to follow that path. There is no room to step aside. There is no room to consider alternative interpretations. The text is already predetermined to the end, and the reader simply walks upon it.

This method is not a mere writing technique. It is a way of conveying an ideology. It is a structure that leads to a specific conclusion rather than expanding thought. Without explicitly telling the reader, "Think this way," it ultimately makes them accept it.

Reading such texts is mentally comfortable because there is no need to ponder. Who the characters are, what the events signify, and what one must accept at the end are already organized. The reader can simply jot down the answers provided by the text without needing to scrutinize them independently.

The problem begins here. The invisibility of other readings means that other thoughts are obscured from the start. When a text leaves only one direction, the reader comes to believe that this direction is the only one. This belief solidifies through repetition. Before long, it becomes commonplace.

In this state, questions disappear. One stops asking why such characters appear, whether other choices were possible, or if there are explanations other than this conclusion. This is because everything within the text is already resolved. Acceptance remains in the place where questions vanish.

Narration That Closes Off Ideology

Such texts have certain characteristics. The explanation is excessively dense. There is almost no white space. The reader has no space to connect the dots themselves. The text makes all judgments on behalf of the reader from beginning to end.

This method is easy to read. However, when this structure is repeated in texts dealing with ideology, the situation changes. The reader's ability to judge independently weakens. Opportunities to compare diverse perspectives or conceive of other possibilities diminish. This is because the text has already left only one judgment.

Another noticeable point is the arrangement of characters and events. Certain characters are always placed in the right position, while others are placed in the wrong position from the start. Although conflict exists, the direction does not change. There is little room for the reader to make a different assessment. The text predetermines even the reader's reaction.

In this scenario, literature becomes not a space where various ideas clash, but a device for pushing through a single idea. The act of reading shifts from dialogue to transmission, and in extreme cases, to coercion.

Examining domestic works reveals this structure more concretely.

For example, let's consider 'The Dwarf Who Shot a Small Ball.' This work powerfully depicts the lives of people marginalized during industrialization. The problem is that the characters and events are arranged almost unidirectionally.

The impoverished characters continuously suffer, and the entities placed on the opposite side appear in roles that create that suffering. There is little room for the reader to make a different judgment. While the story's power is significant, the scope for testing alternative interpretations during the reading narrows.

Another example that comes to mind is 'The Taebaek Mountain Range.' This work deals with ideological conflicts after liberation. Although a vast array of characters and events are presented, the characters' placement and the unfolding of events follow a consistent perspective.

A particular stance is repeatedly emphasized, while the opposing side is depicted in a relatively simplistic manner. The reader is led to follow a single interpretation within the story, and it is not easy to consider other possibilities.

Of course, the value of such works does not disappear. On the contrary, they leave a strong impression. However, it is necessary to consider where that strength comes from. It must be distinguished whether the power stems from a place where diverse interpretations clash, or if it is the result of leaving only one interpretation.

A Structure Where Only One Answer Remains

Ultimately, all of this converges into one thing: a structure where only one answer remains. The end is predetermined from the beginning, and all elements move toward that end. Characters, events, and expressions all point in the same direction.

In this structure, coincidences decrease. Conflict also does not exceed a certain range. The outcome the reader expects is precisely what occurs. What remains after reading is not a new thought but a confirmation of the predetermined conclusion.

Such texts are not always flawed. They are highly effective when aiming to convey a clear message. They lead the reader, unswervingly, to a single judgment. This is an appropriate method for the purpose of persuasion.

However, when this method becomes the only approach in literature dealing with ideology, problems arise. This is because the space where differing ideas clash disappears. Diverse interpretations vanish, and only one voice remains. That voice gains increasing power, and other possibilities become increasingly invisible.

Therefore, the issue discussed here is not merely a matter of expression. It is a question of how literature conveys ideology. The reader, too, must make a choice before it. Whether to follow only the single path presented by the text, or to seek out the hidden paths independently. That difference ultimately divides the depth of reading.

◆ Songsan

A poet and researcher of history and philosophy. Former director of the Syngman Rhee Institute. Currently serves as the research advisor for the Korean Modern and Contemporary History Research Society and the representative of the philosophy forum Lyceum. He has published four poetry collections, co-translated 'Heroes of Cape Chosin,' and authored 'Joseon Who Became a Myth' and 'Humanities on the Tatami.' He is actively engaged in research and practice of liberal cultural movements. Songsan is a pen name.