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The Existential Predicament Perspective in Naguib Mahfouz's

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The Existential Predicament Perspective in Naguib Mahfouz's International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature E-ISSN: 2200-3452 & P-ISSN: 2200-3592 www.ijalel.aiac.org.au Analytical Study: The Existential Predicament Perspective in Naguib Mahfouz’s Selected Novels Ali Dakhil Naem, Lajiman Bin Janoory* Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tg. Malim Perak, Malaysia Corresponding Author: Lajiman Bin Janoory, E-mail: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history This paper aims at analyzing the selected novels of Naguib Mahfouz in the light of the existential Received: March 15, 2019 predicament of ‘man’. Such predicament is manifested in the aspects of despair, frustration, and Accepted: May 12, 2019 poverty. The Characters in the novels play a significant role in displaying the sordid images of Published: July 31, 2019 the modern futility of the conditions of the post-World War in Egypt. The paper assumes the Volume: 8 Issue: 4 existentialism as a theory and topic to comment on the situation, hence the researcher conducts Advance access: June 2019 the research within the existentialist theory. The texts that are selected in this paper are as follow, Midaq Alley, Cairo Trilogy, The Beggar, and The Thief and the Dogs. Conflicts of interest: None Key words: Existentialism, Predicament, Modern Man Funding: None INTRODUCTION (Hora, T. 1977, p. 1). The existentialism here in Mahfouz’ The Arab novel is not too far has been established by several context refers to the status of uncertainties, frustration and writers like Mohammed Hussein Haykal, Mahmood Alaqad doubt within the main characters in the novels that depict and Taha Hussein. These writers have enriched the novel the motives of betrayal, absurdity, alienation, despair, and genre in the Arab homeland and particularly Egypt. Howev- predicament of the modern man, such predicament is more er, it was the time when the distinctive novel writer Naguib psychological and inherited in those characters. Mahfouz started to write about the agonies and the expe- The term “Predicament” may sound broad and wide for rience of Cairo in the era of the British occupation. It was interpretation yet, the context through which the researcher also the novel Zainab by the famous writer Egyptian Haykal wants to channel his hypotheses is more individualistic and that sets the lines for other novelists to follow. Hence Egypt geographically concerning one area of the world that was grew as the leading Arab country in the field of literature and disturbed by two major factors, war and the calls for inde- art. Naguib Mahfouz’ career is an extended and a prosperous pendence. Hence, the Egyptian characters involved in the one, it culminated in winning the noble prize in literature and novels of the major novelist in the Arab world Naguib Mah- that was the first Arabic victory ever since. Mahfouz wrote fouz have these political and psychological predicaments, in at earlier stages of his career about the folklore of Egypt and form of enigma, anguish and the struggle, betrayal and mis- the fairy tales, yet with the advancement and the progress he erable life. Meyers describes it as “Our human predicament achieved his works have reached a mature level of writing stems not only from our vulnerability to external and internal that he wrote his best novels in the middle of his literary pressures toward evil, but also from the foibles and fallacies career. The 1960’s witnessed the prosperous works like The of our thinking.” (Meyers, D.1981.p.45). Cairo Trilogy, The Beggar, and The Thief and the Dogs, and later many other works that have sealed his fame. THE STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The researcher in this paper aims at critically analyzing the existential predicament in the selected works of Naguib This study will investigate the existential predicament of Mahfouz, Existentialism is also a product of statuses that in- the modern man in Egypt in the selected novels by Naguib clude confusion, detachment, crisis and the loose morality Mahfouz. It further examines the effects of modernism and and rootless existence. Despite the fact that existentialism post-colonial impact on certain characters man or woman. has lost its glamour and elegance, yet much of the mod- The study is also designed to critically examine the dark ern literary works echo its tenets, and that its temperament human conditions and their influence on shaping the char- persists rampant in many universal texts. Hora defines Exis- acters’ behavior. The study aims to highlight the existential tentialism as “a philosophical inquiry into the nature of hu- settings that the characters act within it. The problem that man existence and the context in which it manifests itself.” this study aims at addressing is the “existential predicament” Published by Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD. Copyright (c) the author(s). This is an open access article under CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.4p.104 Analytical Study: The Existential Predicament Perspective in Naguib Mahfouz’s Selected Novels 105 of man in Egypt during the 1960’s onwards, what are the he provoked his client who authorized him a case regarding effects of war, urbanization and democracy shadows on the the possession of property: ‘What if you were to win the case modern Egyptians characters in the novels of Naguib Mah- today and take possession of the land only for the government fouz. Although existentialists have profound doctrinal differ- to come and seize it tomorrow?’ Umar asks, one of the charac- ences, they share the belief that philosophical thinking starts ters: “Don’t we live our life knowing full well that it is going with the human subject. The novel of The Thief and Dogs in to be taken away by God?” comes the self -confidential an- 1960 was the first work of Naguib Mahfouz that represents swer of the client (El-Enany, R.2001, p. 45). However, such existentialism. Mahfouz is concerned with existentialism, an overwhelming statement has bewildered Umar Himself particularly with the concept of fate, fate and various philo- and kept him in his predicament for the rest of his life. Thus, sophical problems of life. The main subject that dominated he was in a constant search of an answer to dismiss, yet in a his work and influenced it was the existential instinct, and stasis he replies “The very foundations of existence collapsed how humanity greets with greed behind material gains in a as a result of a few questions” (El-Enany, R. 2001, p. 108). way far from God. From the title “The Beggar” the reader can deduce a sense Using Mahfouz’s novels, in this study attempts the re- of asking urgently and “begging‟ for the truth. Omar Ham- searcher would attempt to discuss how discuss how the zavi’s shifting from an aspiring poet who arrives at nihilism Egyptians dealt with these foreign impacts and how they and with the end of the story changes into a static bourgeois were able to adapt to them. Apparently, the influences of the character proves that seeking and “begging‟ for the truth and political and religious transformations in Egypt were dis- searching one’s essence that the writers, under the effect of cussed in Mahfouz’s literature. The readers can trace a kind the Western difference culture, are possessed with, results in of journey in his novels during a period of several decades— a kind of disappointment and nihilism. When we discuss the cultural political, and social—that took place in Cairo and cultural pluralism or differences; what we do is belonging to Egypt. The social and political environment within the area foreground the points that belong the other and differentiate of Cairo through the colonial rule and modernity, as traced us from it. (Gunduz, D. 2017.p.450) The novel The Beggar by the novelist, shows an affected Egyptian identity that is is narrated omniscient point of view, and the protagonist in it fragmented, damaged, and somehow lost. The researcher is a tough man known as Omar Hamzawi. At the start of the aims to analyze the sort of identity that appeared in effect of novel, Hamzawi is presented as a revolutionary man with an external forces and ideologies. appreciation of poetry, looking for restoring Islamic glory. The The researcher aims to examine the existential traits that physical shape of Hamzawi is presented in a playful approach the characters display in the trilogy. Moreover, there are by the writer at the very beginning of the novel. “Name: some objectives that the protagonist Kamal is patiently wait- Omar Hamzawi, lawyer, age? The doctor laughed hardly and ing to arrive at, such as the intellectual spiritual and political turned his head to say: Don’t worry, I laugh for something satisfaction. In Palace Walk, the narrator conveys the real else. 45 years old. Omar moved his hand on his thick black reason behind the revolution that was led by the Wafid move- hair which did not contain enough white hairs to betray his ment, and he shows doubts about democracy with aims that age. I think I’m not a regular patient” (Mahfouz, 1988). Lat- lie behind that revolution, yet, the main aim behind it was not er, it is shown that “Mostafa Minawi” and “Osman Khalil”, the democracy, but rather to get rid of the foreign domination. these characters are the friends of Omar, who joined him in The discrepancy between the result of the revolution and the the journey of revolution. In the task, a plan was put to assas- values of it has led to a state of betrayal and despair among sinate a major anti-revolution person such an act that even- the citizens who are lost, and thus aimlessly wondering in the tually brought about the imprisonment of Hamzawi’s friend forfeited democracy.
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