영어로 읽는 고전 _ 맥스 브랜드의 무법자의 길
맥스 브랜드의 "무법자의 길"은 20세기 초에 쓰여진 소설입니다. 이 이야기는 미국 서부의 거친 배경에서 펼쳐지며, 냉혹한 대장장이인 재스퍼 래닝의 불운한 제자인 앤디 래닝을 중심으로 합니다. 앤디는 강인함과 총기 기술을 강조하는 그의 양육과 그 자신의 온화한 본성 사이의 투쟁에 갇혀, 그를 둘러싼 폭력에 의문을 제기하게 됩니다.
책의 도입부는 재스퍼와 그의 젊은 피보호자 앤디 사이의 복잡한 관계를 소개합니다. 재스퍼는 승마와 사격에 관한 어려운 교훈을 통해 앤디를 강인한 남자로 만들려는 노력에도 불구하고, 결국 앤디의 타고난 부드러움 때문에 자신의 시도가 실패했다고 느낍니다. 긴장이 고조되면서, 앤디는 지역 불량배인 벅 히스와의 중요한 대면에 직면합니다. 이 장면은 앤디가 압박과 모욕을 느끼다가 예상치 못하게 반격하면서 고조되고, 결국 히스를 우연히 다치게 하며, 이는 앤디가 순진한 젊은 남자에서 도망자로 변모하는 사건의 연쇄를 일으킵니다.
이 도입부는 폭력적인 세계에서의 정체성, 도덕성, 생존에 대한 흥미진진한 탐구의 무대를 마련합니다.
Classics Read in English _ Way of the Lawless by Max Brand
Max Brand's "Way of the Lawless" is a novel from the early 20th century. The narrative unfolds against the rugged backdrop of the American West and revolves around Andy Lanning, the unfortunate protégé of the hard-edged blacksmith, Jasper Lanning. Andy finds himself caught between his upbringing, which emphasizes toughness and gun skills, and his inherently gentle nature, leading him to question the violence that surrounds him.
The book opens by introducing the complex relationship between Jasper and his young ward, Andy. Despite his efforts to shape Andy into a formidable man through rigorous lessons in riding and shooting, Jasper ultimately feels that his attempts have failed due to Andy's innate gentleness. As tensions escalate, Andy faces a critical confrontation with Buck Heath, a local tough guy. The scene intensifies with Andy feeling pressured and humiliated until he unexpectedly fights back, resulting in an accidental injury to Heath. This incident triggers a chain of events that leads to Andy's flight and transformation from a naïve young man into a fugitive.
This opening sequence establishes the foundation for a compelling exploration of identity, morality, and survival in a violent world.
Among the contents
Beside the rear window of the blacksmith shop Jasper Lanning held his withered arms folded against his chest. With the dispassionate eye and the aching heart of an artist he said to himself that his life work was a failure. That life work was the young fellow who swung the sledge at the forge, and truly it was a strange product for this seventy-year-old veteran with his slant Oriental eyes and his narrow beard of white. Andrew Lanning was not even his son, but it came about in this way that Andrew became the life work of Jasper.
Fifteen years before, the father of Andy died, and Jasper rode out of the mountain desert like a hawk dropping out of the pale-blue sky. He buried his brother without a tear, and then sat down and looked at the slender child who bore his name. Andy was a beautiful boy. He had the black hair and eyes, the well-made jaw, and the bone of the Lannings, and if his mouth was rather soft and girlish he laid the failing to the weakness of childhood. Jasper had no sympathy for tenderness in men. His own life was as littered with hard deeds as the side of a mountain with boulders. But the black, bright eyes and the well-made jaw of little Andy laid hold on him, and he said to himself: "I'm fifty-five. I'm about through with my saddle days. I'll settle down and turn out one piece of work that'll last after I'm gone, and last with my signature on it!"
서평(Book Review)
맥스 브랜드의 "무법자의 길"은 폭력과 온유함 사이에서 자신의 정체성을 찾아가는 한 젊은이의 여정을 그린 감동적인 서부 소설이다. 주인공 앤디 래닝의 내적 갈등을 통해, 이 작품은 강인함의 진정한 의미와 사회적 기대에 맞서는 용기에 대한 보편적 질문을 던진다. 브랜드는 엄격한 양육자 재스퍼와 순수한 본성의 앤디 사이의 복잡한 관계를 섬세하게 묘사하며, 폭력적 세계에서 자신만의 도덕적 나침반을 유지하는 것의 어려움을 탐구한다. 우연한 사고로 시작된 앤디의 도주는 단순한 모험을 넘어 자기 발견의 여정으로 발전하며, 브랜드는 서부의 거친 풍경을 인간 영혼의 내적 지형도를 반영하는 효과적인 배경으로 활용한다. 표면적으로는 전통적인 서부극이지만, 그 심층에는 인간의 본성, 운명, 그리고 진정한 강인함이 외적 힘이 아닌 내적 결의에서 비롯된다는 깊은 통찰이 담겨있다.
Max Brand's "Way of the Lawless" is a moving Western novel that portrays a young man's journey to find his identity between violence and gentleness. Through protagonist Andy Lanning's internal conflict, this work poses universal questions about the true meaning of strength and the courage to defy social expectations. Brand delicately depicts the complex relationship between strict guardian Jasper and the naturally gentle Andy, exploring the difficulty of maintaining one's moral compass in a violent world. Andy's flight, triggered by an accidental incident, evolves beyond a simple adventure into a journey of self-discovery, with Brand effectively utilizing the rugged Western landscape as a backdrop that reflects the internal topography of the human soul. While superficially a traditional Western, at its core lies a profound insight that true strength stems not from external power but from inner resolve, offering a timeless meditation on human nature, destiny, and the complex interplay between nurture and inherent character.
