The problem of domination and freedom presented in novel Toji (土地)

This study examines the violence of domination and the problem of freedom in Park Kyoung-ni’s novel Toji. The first part of A represents the central conflict between the ruling Yangban class, who strive to maintain social order, and the Minjung class (lower class), who awaken human dignity and seek to overcome their slave-like existence. It reveals the falsehoods of the Yangban class ideology and shows that freedom exists not in passivity but in active agency. As Toji progresses, it introduces various artists, emphasizing the significance of aesthetic judgment and art. Through their artistic actions, the novel highlights how aesthetic judgment and art transcend the utilitarian means-ends relationship, continuously reflecting on world events and defining the cultural boundaries while exploring the human meaning of these events. In doing so, TojiToji reflects the process of Japan’s totalitarianism and reinforces the importance of restoring common sense and creating a shared world. Reflection on the common world leads to a critique of the harm caused by rationalism. In TojiToji, nature is no longer viewed as a mere universal substance to be dominated but as a dynamic, interconnected community of life. The novel Toji stresses the need to demonstrate “creative agency,” where humans, objects, and nature find balance and are redefined through creativity. In this way, TojiToji guides readers from domination and violence toward the active agency of freedom. It reflects on the social forms of domination, overcoming the violence inherent in domination, and seeks a life and world rooted in freedom. The novel TojiToji aims to realize an active existence beyond the class-based social order and domination of forms that trample individual dignity, recovering common sense through reflective judgment and creating a free shared world. Furthermore, the novel envisions a new way of thinking that seeks to restore balance with nature, going beyond rationalism and utilitarianism.