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No Country for Old Men

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No Country for Old Men
3-4장에 드러난 작가의 세계관
소설이라는 것의 줄거리는, ‘책을 읽게 만드는 힘’ 이상은 아닐 수도 있다. 이 소설이 단순한 스릴러 장르를 뛰어 넘어 한 차원 높은 수준의 문학을 만드는 데에는 코맥 맥카시의 독특한 문체와 염세주의적 세계관, 그로 인한 묵시록적 분위기가 많은 부분을 차지하고 있는 것 같다. 이야기는 텍사스부터 캘리포니아까지 넓은 의미에서의 서부를 배경으로 하고 있는데, 이 배경 또한 단순한 배경에 그치지 않고, 배경 자체가 등장인물이며, 소설에서 사건만큼이나 장소 또한 중요한 역할을 한다. 끝없는 서부의 풍경은 언뜻 굉장히 아름답지만, 싱싱하고 활력 넘치는 아름다움이 아니라 황폐미에 가깝다. 시기 또한 어딘가 애매한 1980년, 웨스턴의 폭력과 황폐함의 역사가 휴화산처럼 가만히 잠든 곳이다. 완전히 개방된 공간의 대낮에 시체들이 널브러진 풍경(p96, They walked around in the bajada looking at the shot-up trucks. ~ This is the damnedest thing I ever saw, he said) 시내 한복판에서의 총격전 (p 120, By the time they’d figured out where~)은 문명과는 거리가 먼, 거의 초현실적인 무법의 세계 같다. 그런 풍경은 그 자체로 사람을 무기력하게 만든다.
모스와 시거의 추격전 사이 사이에 그 둘을 쫓는 보안관 벨의 독백이 실린다. 그러나 이 독백은 이야기의 전개에 아무런 도움이 되지 않는다.(Bell은 항상 한 발 늦게 장소에 등장한다) 오히려 그것은 숨막히는 추격전의 흐름을 툭툭 끊어버리기까지 한다. 이것은 의도적이다. 작가는 우리가 현명한 노인의 이야기에 좀 더 귀를 기울이기 원하지만 벨의 독백은 그저 변화하는 세상과 충돌하는 노인네의 한탄처럼 느껴진다.(P62, I don’t know that law enforcement benefits all that much from new technology ~ I thought I’d stick with what I had) 그럼에도 불구하고, 텍스트 안에서 이상한 위치에 있는 보안관. 그는 유일하게 우리가 감정을 이입할 수 있는 자기 심정을 스스로 말하고 있다. 보안관은 텍스트와 교묘하게 떨어져서 상황을 관전하고 있는데, 따라서 보안관에게 작가가 세상을 바라보는 관점이 직접적으로 담겨 있다고 할 수 있다. 그 관점의 핵심은 무력감이다.(p64, Does it work? ~ Very little. And bad people cant be governed at all. Or if they could I never heard of it.) 점점 나이를 먹어가는 상황도 포함되어 있고 거기서 독특한 제목이 나올 수도 있었다. 여기에는 선악을 바라보는 작가의 관점이 있다. 앞으로 힘차게 달려나가는 행위가 악이라면, 선은 그렇게 하는 것이 맞는지 돌아보는 행위이다. 한마디로 선은 무력하다. 그것을 예민하게 느끼는 사람이 사회적 약자이고. 따라서 이 세상 자체가 노인을 위한 나라가 아니라는 것일 것이다.

안톤 쉬거. 그는 철저하게 대상화되어 있다. 그가 심리적으로 어떤 갈등을 겪고 있는지 우리는 알 길이 없다. 쉬거(Chigurh)’라는 이름부터 독특한데, 이상한 스펠링으로 성을 하나 만든 것이다. 그러니까 이 세상에 존재하는 사람이 아니라 하나의 인격화된 관념이라고 할 수 있다. 그는 도와달라고 애원하는 사람에게 오히려 눈을 마주쳐 달라며 총알을 날린다. (P122, look at me ~ Watching the capillaries break up in his eyes.) 그는 악의 상징이다. 특별히 여기서는 우연이라는 악마를 다루고 있다. 그는 그가 목적하는 모스를 죽이기 위해 우연히 마주하는 무고한 사람들의 목숨도 단지 수단으로 생각하는 것으로 보인다. (모스를 추적하는 과정에서 이미 많은 사람들이 희생되었다.) 인간이 우연을 전면적으로 수용하면 삶을 버텨낼 수가 없을 것이다. 모든 게 다 우연이라면 우리가 의미를 부여하고 있는 것들의 가치가 다 사라지기 때문이다. 안톤 쉬거는 바로 그것을 보여주고 있다. 그는 동전 던지기로 예측을 맞히면 죽이지 않는다. 우연이 원칙이다? 원칙이 없다는 뜻과 일맥상통한다.. 즉 이것은 복수나 응징에 관한 이야기가 아니다. 수많은 사람이 죽어가는 상황에서 거대한 부조리와 카오스만 있는 것이다. 그게 핵심이다. 뭘 걸었는지 모른 채 내기를 하게 되는 상황처럼 인간도 그와 같은 삶이라는 내기를 하고 있다는 것이다.
안톤 쉬거만큼 이해할 수 없는 인물이 모스이다. 모스는 욕망의 불길 속으로 몸을 던진다. 그의 이름 Moss가 나방을 뜻하는 단어 Moth와 흡사하다는 사실은 놀랄 일도 아니다. 환풍기에 줄을 연결해 돈을 숨겨 놓고 찾는 모습, 돈다발 뭉치에서 트렌스 폰더를 발견하고도 돈을 재정리해 다시 챙기는 모습은 인간의 욕망과 본성에 대해 혀를 내두르게 할 정도이다. 보안관 벨의 ‘사람들은 자기가 무엇을 원하는지 안다고 생각하지만 대게는 그렇지 않은 것 같다. 그래서 궁지에 빠지게 되는 것 같다(P 91, People think they know~ that was the luckiest. )’ 라는 독백은 모스의 상황을 잘 묘사하는 말이면서, 현 세계에 경고를 던지는 작가의 말일 것이다.

주요 등장 인물을 통해서뿐만 아니라 주변 인물을 통해서도 작가의 관점은 전달되고 있다. 특히 작가의 ‘돈’, ‘물질’에 대한 부정적 시선을 곳곳에서 느낄 수 있다. 총상을 입고 국경을 넘으려는 모스가 아이들에게서 코트를 요구할 때, 정자에서 한 할아버지에게 의사를 요청할 때, 택시에서 복잡한 일에 얽히지 않으려는 택시기사에게 다른 곳으로 이동해줄 것을 요구할 때, ‘돈’은 모든 것을 해결해준다. 어린 아이들부터 할아버지에 이르기까지 ‘연민’이나 ‘선’과 같은 가치가 원동력이 아니라, ‘돈’이 그들을 움직이게 하는 모습은 어딘가 씁쓸한 뒤끝을 남긴다. 수십억의 돈을 가지게 되고서도 도망가는 것 외에는 아무 것도 할 수 없는 모스가 고급 레스토랑에서 와인과 스테이크를 먹으며 자신의 삶을 되돌아 보는 장면(P85, he ate in a restaurant with white table cloths and waiters ~ and thought about his life.)이 아이러니 하면서 의미 있게 다가오는 것도 같은 이유에서 일 것이다.

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