Analysis of the Meaning of Reminiscence in Korean Elderly : by analysing Korean Novel Literature

노인 회상의 의미 분석연구 : 근대 이후 한국소설의 분석을 중심으로

The aim of this study is to analyze the meaning of Korean elders' reminiscences by analysing korean novel literature from 1930s to 1990s. The results of this study are as follows : The moaning of elders' reminiscences are the reflecting on their life, conquesting the excessive fondness the regrecting, the pursuiting of the powers, the pursuiting of the love(Jeong) and the conformation of their exsistence. Elders have tried to examine their life through reflection on their life tha? they did not live good life as son and daughter for parents and as parents for children and that they have foolishly lived, on dream that they did not come true, on their learning that they did not unsatisfied. But elders conquest the excessive fondness. They have felt their limitations of power in the conflict of human relation, the economic matter and the difficult predicament, and have finally accepted their life as it is by conquesting from their tenacity. It is dynamically found that both the reflecting on their life and conquesting of the excessive fondness. And they pursuit the powers. It means the pursuit of the vital powers, the vigorous powers and the competency, Elders have pursuited their vitality, vigor and competency through their reminiscences and have wanted to be recognized by others as a powerful being. These have dynamic and compounded aspects. Elders have pursuited the purely love (Jeong) through their reminiscence togather with their sisters and brothers. And the confirmation of their exsistence refer to through their own situation of health, condition, children, neighbourhood and doing their duty as a human. Elders have confirmed the present value of their being through the reflecting the present, past self, other men around themselves, children, neighborhood and the doing their human duty as a good men. Therefore the results of this study can offer new view on the elders' reminiscences that we have to understand them as a process as what they are, escaping from the simple logic that elders' reminiscence have a positive or a negative effects. Also, this study which have examined the natures of Korean elders' reminiscences can cast a new light on elders' nursing proper for Korean culture.