본고의 연구 목적은 『질마재 신화』에 나타난 여성들을 중심으로 원시주의를 살펴보고는 데 있다. 『질마재 신화』에 나타난 ‘질마재’는 금기가 존재하지 않는 자유로운 공간이다. 이유는 질마재가 원시 자연의 모습을 하고 있기 때문이다. 특히, 이런 공간에서 살아가는 여인들은 가장 원초적인 모습으로 존재하는 데, 이런 점은『질마재 신화』의 원시주의 특성을 보여주는 점이 된다.
‘질마재’에서 간통은 더 이상 금기가 아니다. 오히려 이는 마을을 늘 어린이처럼 천진난만하게 생각하고 행동하며 살아가는 그런 곳으로 만든다. 이것은 질마재가 원시 자연의 상태를 지녔기에 가능하다. 이런 점은 질마재가 원시에 대한 회복을 하고 있다는 의미이고, 미당 자신의 세계관이 어떠한 갈등도 하지 않음을 의미한다. 여기서 더 나아가 질마재 사람들이 어떠한 갈등도 하지 않고 순수하고 평화롭게 살아가는 원시와 같은 삶이 성과 속의 경계를 허물며 자유롭게 살아가는 사는 질마재 여인의 모습과 상통한다. 특히, 「소자 이 생원네 마누라님의 오줌기운」에서 ‘이생원네 마누라님’은 자신의 오줌 기운을 통해 천진난만하게 살아가는 아이와 같은 삶을 보여준다. 이는 원시 자연의 모습을 보여준다. 그러므로 ‘질마재’에서 자연적 원시 상태는 여성으로 표상된다.
그리고 『질마재 신화』에 나타난 여인들의 지닌 기이한 힘은 원시주의 모습을 확고히 보여 주는 증거가 된다. 특히, 알묏댁이나 한물댁의 지닌 기이한 힘은 원시인의 느낌이나 생각의 한 방식으로, 이성과 도덕, 윤리를 넘어서 내적인 충족감을 나타낸다. 이런 점은 그녀들의 슬픈 운명뿐만 아니라 마을 사람들에게 모든 갈등과 어려움을 해소시킨다. 그 결과 마을 사람들은 ‘질마재’에서 더욱 무사태평한 삶을 살 수 있게 만든다. 이런 여성들의 의해 나타난 원시성의 구현이야말로 『질마재 신화』의 원시주의를 확고히 나타내준다.
『The Myth of Jilmajae』 was written with all these primitive and mysterious expressions, and such feature has been regarded as some eternity that Midang was pursuing. However, the eternity being talked about here feels abstract and vague, and that eternity can be understood even more concretely through the characterization of female characters. These women appearing in 『The Myth of Jilmajae』 are described both extremely primitive and mystical. The magical imaginations of those ladies make situations unrealistic, and that is what they basically do in this village, Jilmajae. The significance of the eternity will be easily understood when the women in 『The Myth of Jilmaejae』 are discussed in relation to primitivism.
Adultery is no longer a taboo in Jilmajae. The act rather makes the village a place of people who always think and behave as these naive, innocent children do. That was something that could have never been possible unless Village Jilmajae was described to be primitive. In addition, what such feature of the village signifies there is that Jilmajae is returning to the primitive times and plus, it also means that Midang himself does not want his ideas toward the world to be exposed to any conflicts. This desire for the primitive times is connected not only to the appetite of people in the village but also to the eternity that Midang was seeking for. And, such eternity of Midang was satisfied even more successfully by these strange powers and substances possessed by the women of Jilmajae. In particular, the supernatural powers of Almetdaek or Hanmuldaek, one of these feelings or thoughts that primitive men would possess, have been internalized as these powers of the highest quality which would exceed rationality, morality and ethics. That is how the internal satisfaction is described, and that is what resolves not only the women’s dreadful fates but also all these troubles and difficulties among the people in the village. As a result, the people in the village can allow themselves to have even more tranquil lives in ‘Jilmajae’. Meanwhile, in ‘Jilmajae’, the white salt that the old lady sprinkles which is considered a rule of the primitive times gathers the village people to Room Madang, and that signifies the cohesion of the beings. After all, as far as the people in the village believe, the white salt is the factor that helps the recovery of the beings. Through such ritual the beings are led to focus on this ‘Room Madang’. ‘Room Madang’ makes the cohesion of the beings possible, and to the people in the village, the white salt is what realizes the recovery of the beings. That is also how those people who have been exhausted inside get healed. In the light of what has been discussed so far, the old lady should be considered not only a true savior of the ‘eternity’ but also this figure who encourages others to look for better values in their lives. To sum up, as far as Midang understands, realizing the primitive times indicates something that is fundamental, original and essential to human beings. Such realization of the primitive times leads Midang to reach the realm of psychological transcendence and to successfully expand his own time as this infinite time, the eternity.