Problem-Solution Pattern and Meaning Construction in the Representation of Social Actors: A Case Study of *Ma‘rad al-Juthath* Based on Hoey’s and van Leeuwen’s Approaches

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University

Abstract
The central concern of the present study is to investigate how meaning is reproduced in the short story Ma‘rad al-Juthath (The Corpse Exhibition) through the interaction between narrative structure and the representation of social actors. To achieve this objective, Hoey’s Problem–Solution Pattern and van Leeuwen’s Social Actor Representation framework were employed simultaneously in order to examine both the narrative organization of the text and the representation of characters in the process of meaning construction. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical method within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The data were collected from the story and categorized according to Hoey’s four-stage pattern: Situation, Problem, Response, and Evaluation. Subsequently, the representation strategies of social actors were examined within each stage.The findings indicate that, in the first stage (Situation), the narrative prepares the ground for the acceptance of the dominant worldview by foregrounding and positively appraising actors affiliated with al-Jama‘a (the Group). In the second stage (Problem), the victims of violence are represented through indetermination and impersonalization, which reduces their individuality and social visibility. In the third stage (Response), violence is reconstructed as a logical and effective solution through strategies of rationalization, expertization, and the redefinition of concepts such as peace, education, and knowledge. In the final stage (Evaluation), members of al-Jama‘a are represented and judged through positive appraisal and activation, whereas any form of doubt or opposition to the Group is evaluated negatively.Overall, the four stages of narrative processing operate in a way that contributes to the naturalization and rationalization of violence. Therefore, Ma‘rad al-Juthath does not merely narrate violence; rather, it reproduces a discourse in which violence is established as a necessary and legitimate practice within the text’s system of meaning

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 September 2026