Appointment By Lee Ho-Chul

Lee Ho-Chul’s short story, “The Deputy Mayor Does Not Go to Take Up His Appointment”, depicts Kyu-ho’s conflict with Korea’s authoritarian government in a humorous light. His struggles effectively demonstrate Bergson’s theory of the conflict between one’s body and one’s soul to an extreme. Bergson describes the relationship between body and soul as the soul being “tantalized by the needs of the body” (Bergson 17b). In other words, the soul, or one’s mind or true being, is thought of as pure, perfected, and graceful, however, it is often restricted to the imperfections and clumsiness of the actual physical body. This restriction and incongruity between the soul and body creates a ridiculous and humorous effect. Kyu-ho’s chaotic journey depicts

Kyu-ho’s conflict between body and soul can be paralleled to the conflict between body and soul within an individual under an authoritarian rule. As depicted throughout Ho-Chul’s story, under authoritarian rule, individuals are pressured to exhibit or not exhibit certain behaviors and beliefs. This pressure is related to the “body” in Bergson’s theory. However, the individual has a “soul” which represents the way in which he/she wishes to behave and wishes to believe. Much like the comic in Bergson’s theory, the soul is restricted by the means of the body. Individuals, their lifestyles, and their beliefs will be restricted under an authoritarian rule. When the body and soul match and agree, one will see “vitality”. In other words, when the values of an individual align with those of the authoritarian rule, one can expect this individual will thrive in this environment. However, often times this is not the case. More often than not, body and soul will not align. If this is the case, one can expect detrimental effects, analogous to that in Kyu-ho’s experience. Kyu-ho becomes a slave to his bodily needs, forcing him to abandon his soul altogether. The individual under authoritarian rule has a similar experience. The individual is pressured through threats and fear tactics to exhibit the “body”, or the authoritarian values, and to abandon the “soul”, or the individual values. The authoritarian rule requires unquestioning obedience much like Kyu-ho’s body forces him to respond aimlessly to its needs. This is not only an exhausting endeavor for the individual, but it is also detrimental to the health of the individual. After abandoning his soul altogether, Kyu-ho begins to experience further negative and deteriorating effects on his body. This