Silence and speaking in Baek Hee-na’s『Alsatang』series

Baek Hee-na's works-How to Make Alsatng(2024), I Am a Dog(2019), and Alsatang(2017)-are interconnected through the passage of time and pivotal events, such as the grandmother’s death, Gusuli's aging, and Dongdong's school entrance. The culmination of the three-volume series occurs in Alsatang when Dongdong asks his friend, “Would you like to play with me?”. This moment appears to be the narrative focal point toward which the series, its characters, and incidents were directed. Throughout the series, beings around Dongdong transitioned from silence to speech, yet Dongdong himself, as a speaking being, remained silent for much of the story. Alsatang serves as a medium bridging silence and speech. This study explores the themes of silence and speech in the Alsatang series. First, it examines the significance of speech from previously silent beings, such as the sofa, Gusuli, Dongdong's father, grandmother, and tree, and its meaning for Dongdong. Second, it interprets silence within speech as reflecting the nobility of expression that emerges from silence. The findings of this study provide insights into using listening and speaking as tools in early childhood education and may help foster empathetic reasoning and ethical awareness in young learners.