Document Type : scientific-research
Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Persian Literature ,Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Persian Literature, University ofGuilan, Guilan, Iran.
3 Ph.D Candidate of Persian Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
Every life is the realization of a “whole,” that is the realization of the “self.” This realization is called individuality in Jungian psychology. Relying on Nietzsche’s book Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Jung analyzes concepts such as “the subconscious mind” and the archetypes of “shadow,” “positive anima,” “negative anima,” “chthonic mother,” and “wise old man,” and through this analysis, he explains the concept of individuation or attaining the status of “Superman.” Individuation is the process by which the ego, as the center of self-awareness, is transferred to the “self,” which is the innermost part of the subconscious. In this process, takes place in The Blind Owl, the various aspects of personality reach cognition and compatibility with each other, and self-awareness eventually becomes synchronized with the unconscious. The Blind Owl reflects the human search for individuation in the form of two real and symbolic journeys. This essay attempts to explore the idea of Nietzsche’s “Superman.” Studying the symbolic representations of the images of The Blind Owl, it also examines the role of trinity and its manifestation in the novel and its connection with individuality in Jung’s theory. The most important conclusion of the article is that the reader understands how Hedayat uses various symbols such as the ethereal girl, the prostitute, cypress, lotus, and numbers to refer to the origins of the two ancient civilizations of India and Iran. It also shows that the narrator of The Blind Owl is Nietzsche’s “Superman” who is trapped in the realm of existence and repeats a life in different places and times. The individual who appears in The Blind Owl, in symbolic and numerous forms—the narrator, the coffin-bearer, the uncle, the ethereal girl, the prostitute, the prostitute’s mother, the nanny etc.—are the shadows of the narrator (eternal-man) who lives in different faces and different times and tries to reconcile with different aspects of his existence. In addition, The Blind Owl’s narrator intends to overcome the inferior shadows of his existence to achieve the individuality referred to in Jung’s theory. Showing the narrator’s failure in trying to achieve individuality is the ultimate goal of The Blind Owl.
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