비톨드 곰브로비치는 <트란스-아틀란틱>에서 ‘아버지의 나라’를 뜻하는 “jczyzna”와 이에 대응하는 ‘아들의 나라’라는 뜻으로 작가의 신조어인 “ynczyzna”라는 두 개념을 대비시킨다. 이 두 가지 가치 체계 혹은 세계관은 정상과 비정상 혹은 광기, 권력과 통제, 그리고 자유라는 개념과 밀접하게 연관되어 있다. 작품 내에서 “jczyzna”와 “ynczyzna”는 사실상 양쪽 다 일종의 광기이다. 그러나 “jczyzna”의 가치 체계에 속하는 사람들은 종종 권력과 통제력을 갖고 있으며, 그렇기 때문에 “jczyzna”라는 가치관은 정상이고 규범이 되는 기준으로 보인다. 반대로 “ynczyzna”는 진정한 광기이다. 이것은 권력과 통제에 맞서는 저항의 힘이며, 이러한 광기만이 인간을 자유롭게 할 수 있다.
When discussing Witold Gombrowicz, the key words one hears most often are: youth or adolescence; its inherent immaturity and freedom; Modernism or Post-Modernism; and “polskość,” meaning Polishness or the Polish identity. Trans-Atlantyk (1953) is an excellent example among Gombrowicz’s works that encompasses all of these themes. In this novel, the driving force of the story is the contrast and conflict between two opposing value systems: “ojczyzna” or the fatherland, and “synczyzna” or the son-land, using Gombrowicz’s own coinage. Numerous critics have analyzed, discussed and/or commented on these distinctly Gombrowiczean concepts, but so far the discussion seems to be centered primarily on Poland and the Polish people. This study attempts to expand the concepts of “ojczyzna” and “synczyzna” beyond the limits of nationality or any kind of geo-political identifications. Using the theories of Michel Foucault and Jean Baudrillard, this paper will show that “ojczyzna” and “synczyzna” are two opposing systems or worldviews based on different organizing principles. These two systems are also closely related to the concepts of madness, power and control, and freedom. In Trans-Atlantyk, “ojczyzna” and “synczyzna” are both certain forms of madness. The difference is that “ojczyzna” is a form of madness in disguise of order and reason. The people belonging to this system have power and control, so the worldview of “ojczyzna” appears to be the norm. “Synczyzna,” on the other hand, is true madness: it is a rebellion against power and control, and only this type of madness may set a person free.