오닐의『백만장자 마르코』에 나타난 음양사상 = The Principles of "Yin and Yang" in O'Neill's Marco Millions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

O'Neill read several books on Chinese poetry and art and James Legge's translation of the Tao Te Ching around 1922 and 1923 while undertaking research for Marco Millions. He also indicated that the mysticism of Lao-Tse and Chuang-Tzu interested him more than any other Oriental writings.
In Taoism, he not only found confirmation of his own mystical intuition that a dynamic universal force which is called Tao by Lao-Tse united man and universe but also discovered an encouraging variant of his own dualistic tragic vision as well. Taoism finds the world a constant process of transformation and sees these transformations operating according to the polar opposites yin and yang.
The relevance of Marco Millions to the Taoistic thought of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu is quite apparent in theme and structure. The central characters subtly demonstrate in their personalities and relationships the reconciling rhythms of the Tao. The Oriental Kukachin, who is feminine, passive, and spiritual, corresponds to the yin principle in Chinese thought. Marco, the personification of the Westers civilization, corresponds to yang, the masculine, rational and active Principle. While Marco's insensitivity blinds him to Kukachin's passion, her love suggests an attraction corresponding to the bonds between yin and yang. The two figures also interpenetrate. Marco remains alive and successful after Kukachin perishes, but Kukachin finds life after death due to love. The prologue subtly underscores the secret unity of the two characters: the soul's immortality was the very thing Marco had promised to prove. Therefore they may be united by larger cosmic cycles. Kublai himself harmonizes opposing tendencies within his own nature. Kublai, called son of Heaven, Lord of the Earth, harmonizes not only these realms but also the masculine rationality and aggressiveness of the West, and the feminine intuition and passivity of the East. In structure there is the Taoistic motif of the return both of Marco and Kukachin.