Literary Criticism
Elham Khademi; Marzie Abad; Mohammad Javad Mahdavi; Mahdi Kermani
Abstract
In the present study, identity has been examined in two Arabic and Persian young adult novels based on Erik Erikson''s theory of psychosocial development. According to this theory, adolescence is the fifth stage of development, and the primary challenge of this stage is the identity crisis, although ...
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In the present study, identity has been examined in two Arabic and Persian young adult novels based on Erik Erikson''s theory of psychosocial development. According to this theory, adolescence is the fifth stage of development, and the primary challenge of this stage is the identity crisis, although not in its critical sense. The two novels studied are "Faten" by Lebanese writer Fatima Sharafeddin and "Hasti" by Iranian writer Farhad Hassanzadeh. "Faten" is set during the Lebanese civil war, while "Hasti" takes place at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war, with young girls as the main characters in both stories. Sharafeddin''s young adult novels primarily focus on analyzing and critiquing the social situation in Lebanon, while Hassanzadeh''s approach in young adult novels is to empower and inform girls. This study highlights the significance of the adolescent stage and stresses the importance of establishing a successful identity during this period, pointing out literary researchers'' neglect of this stage. Therefore, this study aims to explore these two literary works using Erikson''s theory, a descriptive-analytical method, and a comparative literature approach.The research findings indicate that characteristics of adolescence in both novels can be categorized into three groups based on Erikson''s theory: Identity crisis; Identity-seeking, which includes identification, societal support, adolescents'' resistance to adult value systems, and love during adolescence; and Fidelity. By examining the role of identity and challenges faced by adolescents in these novels, it can be concluded that their main objective is to encourage young readers to develop a successful identity through education, learning, and interacting with knowledgeable individuals.
