나혜석에게 '젠더'는 당대의 시대상을 드러내는 지표로, 보다 나은 삶을 위한 공감의 확산을 위해 모색되어야 할 논거이다. 이 글은 나혜석의 소설 「경희」, 「원한」, 「현숙」을 중심으로 소설 속 여성 주인공들이 자신이 각자 처한 현실을 극복해 나가는 과정을 젠더수사학의 관점에서 살펴봄을 목적으로 한다. 「경희」의 '경희'는 일본에 유학중인 '여학생'으로 기존의 젠더규범인 여성/남성, 자연/문화, 수동/능동의 이원적 시각을 해체하려 한다. 이를 위해 전경/배경, 충실한 몸/살아본 몸을 대립적 구도로 배치한다. '간극적 존재'인 경희는 압도적인 현실과 가부장의 권력을 넘어서기 위하여 성현 '안자'의 권위를 빌려 취하는 복화술의 수사 전략을 펼친다. 여성을 '인간'에 편입시키는 성취에 이어, '은유'의 시적 수사를 통해 정체성의 주체적 혁명을 도모한다. 「원한」의 '이소저'는 '과부'로, 몸-섹슈얼리티-삶 모두 대상화되어 드러난다. '조혼의 악습'과 '이중적 성규범', '부조리한 현실'에 복속된 그녀의 젠더는 왜곡된다. '과부', '첩', '빨간 몸'으로 수식되는 이소저의 정체는 '남성'에 의해 우연하게 주어진 비본질적인 환유적 기호이다. 이후 거듭 태어나는 '이소저'를 통해 패배적 현실을 역설한다. 「현숙」의 '현숙'은 '카페여급'으로 다면적인 주체이다. '현숙'은 기만적인 남성들의 논리를 전유하고 패러디하는 가운데 고유한 '젠더는 없다'는 진실을 우회적으로 폭로한다. 나혜석은 '현숙'을 통하여 근대적 여성상을 제시하고 젠더구성을 도모하고자 한다. '경희'-'이소저'-'현숙'은 그녀들이 처한 열악한 현실 속에서 젠더 완성을 향한 치열한 도정을 긋는다.
``Gender`` was the main theme of Na Hye-seok`s works of different genres. She didn`t stop paying attention to it. For her, ``gender`` was not only an indicator of suppression prevailed in the times when she lived, but also a basis of arguments to reach increased sympathy for better life. As she released novels from to and , Na Hye Seok tried to reach a logical, dialectic conclusion in regard to gender. In one of the above novels, , the main character named ``Kyung Hee`` is studying in Japan. She tries to break off fixed gender norms, especially dualistic discrimination between women and men, nature and culture and between passivity and activity. Her efforts are represented by confrontation between foreground and background, and faithful body and experienced body. As an in-between being, Kyung Hee tries to overcome the dominant realities of suppression and patriarchism. In this process, she borrows the power of sage ``Anja`` and then utilizes it as a rhetorical strategy of ventriloquism. Through the strategy, she integrates herself to human beings. Then she seeks the self-revolution of her identity by taking advantage of a poetic rhetoric of metaphor. In another novel, , Na Hye-seok criticizes early marriage as a evil custom, dualistic norms of sex and even absurdities of the reality by presenting situational plots that are confrontational to . The main character of that novel is ``Lady Lee`` who is thoroughly objectified. Her body, sexuality and life, connectively represented in the novel, suggest how much women`s subjection to gender is easygoing and irresponsible. Lady Lee is changed from a young woman of good family to a widow, concubine and a naked body. This identification is nothing but which is accidentally and unnaturally given by men. The entire being of the lady is identified only by her body. This is a terrible metonymy of despair in the reality. , Na Hye Seok reveals her thought of how modern women should be, that is, her vew of gender. Differently from ideal ``Kyung Hee`` and passive ``Lady Lee``, ``Hyeon Sook`` has multiple personalities. ``Hyeon Sook`` implicitly reveals a truth, ``gender is never indigenous`` as she appropriates and parodies men`s deceptive logics by using an incident of ghostwriting. The main background of the story is Hyeon Sook`s room` where she makes her own judgements and express her own will in relation to free love, cohabitation and marriage. ``Kyung Hee``, ``Lady Lee`` and ``Hyeon Sook`` represent the context of thesis, antithesis and synthesis, under which they make their way towards gender perfection.
