E. E. 커밍스의 생태적 마음―‘되기’와 ‘성장하기’

Abstract

This paper examines E. E. Cummings’ ecological mind, with which he praises the values of individuality, spontaneity, immediacy, and simplicity in nature. Observing and enjoying nature, he finds all dichotomies dissolving into a dynamic and organic whole in which nature and the poet’s mind, distinct and yet interfused, transform each other in a growing process. Cummings’ ecological poetic consciousness, thus, offers an open-ended field where all exist, following the natural law of ‘becoming’ and ‘growing.’ Through his ecological way of existence the poet transgresses all boundaries and continues to incorporate a suit of opposites in his texts. It can be asserted that Cummings’ ecological mind leads readers to a greater sense of selfhood, and that this ultimately reflects social engagement.