Abstract

Previous studies on Han Heukgu’s literature mainly focus on works that critically address racial discrimination in the United States. Consequently, his literature has been perceived as portraying the U.S. negatively. However, when previously overlooked works are analyzed, this picture changes. By analyzing his neglected works, this study revisits the overall influence of the U.S. on Han Heuk-gu’s literature. In the short story “A Letter Found on the Street,” Han Heuk-gu reveals the indirect influence of the U.S. through themes of liberal views on sexuality and gender equality. In his short stories and the novel “Four Brothers” that depict the lives of Koreans between the 1930s and 1950s, the U.S. is portrayed as a prosperous, rising nation. This is in contrast to his homeland, which is presented as impoverished through the eyes of a writer who experienced America. His 1950s novel “Looking Down on the Village,” where America serves as a model for Korea’s economic revival, is a work that explicitly reflects the direct influence of the U.S. Similarly, in his 1960s novel “The Young Artist,” Americans are depicted as benevolent helpers grounded in Christian values. His essays also reveal that the life mottos and values he presents are borrowed from devout American Christians, which can also be viewed as a direct influence of the U.S. In conclusion, while Han Heukgu’s literature criticizes the U.S. for its racial discrimination, it largely reveres the country as a model to emulate; this pro-American tendency forms the foundation of the conservatism in his literature.