토끼의 간 이야기 Hare’s Liver
한국에서 흔히 토끼라고 하면 지혜와 꾀의 상징으로 알려져 있다.
몸집이 작고 천적이 많은 탓에 스스로 자신을 보호하지 않으면 안되는 동물이다.
이 토끼와 관련하여 한국에서는 전래 동화가 있다.
“토끼전”, 혹은 “별주부전”이라고 하는 것이 그것이다.
바다에 사는 용왕이 몸이 안 좋아져서 세상의 명약이라고 하는 토끼의 간을 먹으면 낫는다고 하여, 거북이를 시켜서 토끼를 바다에 데리고 오는 데까지 성공하였으나, 토끼의 지략과 지혜로 결국 잡아먹히지 않고 성공한다.
토끼전을 해석하는 관점은 두 가지가 있다.
토끼를 중심으로 하는 관점
- 지나친 사리사욕으로 인해 위험에 빠지는 모습
- 기지를 통해 위험을 벗어나는 총명함
별주부를 중심으로 하는 관점
- 윗선의 명령이라면 도덕적으로 옳지 않음에도 불구하고 실행에 옮기는 관료제의 모순
- 한결같은 충성심
This animal tale narrates the story of a hare who thinks up a trick to overcome a deadly crisis.
The character of the wise and witty hare is similar to that of the monkey in “Tale of the Dragon King and the Monkey” from the Indian scripture Jataka (Sutra of the Buddha’s Reincarnated Manifestations), and other hares in “Gwitojiseol (Tale of Turtle and Hare)” from the the section on Kim Yu-sin in Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), the pansori “Sugungga (Song of the Water Palace)” and the classical novel Tokkijeon (Tale of a Hare).
Yongwang (Dragon King) fell ill and the only thing that would cure him was hare’s liver, so turtle, one of Dragon King’s subjects, was sent to land to bring hare. Turtle went to the mountain, where he met hare and tricked hare into going with him to Sugung (Water Palace), promising hare a high post in the court. Upon their arrival at the palace, Dragon King’s subjects pushed hare down and tried to take his liver. Hare said he left his liver on land, that he would have brought it if turtle had told him that his liver would be needed. When Dragon King refused to believe him, hare showed the king his bottom and said, “One hole is for peeing, one hole is for pooing, and one is for taking the liver in and out.” Dragon King saw three holes and was persuaded, sending hare and turtle back to land. Hare, upon returning on turtle’s back, railed at turtle for deceiving him and ran away to the mountain, teasing, “Whoever heard of taking the liver in and out of your body?”
In the tale, hare is weak but smart, outwitting powerful and threatening humans or tigers. The characters represent roles within a feudal society: Dragon King as ruler, turtle as subject and hare as common people. This perspective results in the interpretation that the narrative is a portrayal of an adverse society where the ruler views the people as objects of exploitation, for his own glory. This tale, in other words, reflects the subversive perception that the feudal system resulted in a dysfunctional society and thereby must be eliminated. It can also be read as a social critique, centering on the struggle of an individual—in this case hare, who ultimately acts for himself—against a repressive social system.
