Characterization Methods in the Novel "The Prophet Without Miracles" by Mohammad Ali Rukni
Subject Areas : Research in Contemporary Iranian LiteratureMEHDI MOHAMMADI 1 * , khadijeh safari kandsari 2
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor university, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor university, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Characterization, Narrative, Novel, Prophet without miracles, Muhammad Ali Rukni.,
Abstract :
Character and characterization are two main and influential elements in stories and novels. Without this important element, a story cannot be formed. In fact, character and characterization constitute the main body of any story; in such a way that the writer achieves the creation of lasting characters through creativity, skill, coherent design, and instilling the desired actions and behavior in the characters. The novel "The Prophet Without Miracles" by Mohammad Ali Rukni is a novel in which the main character, after going through a path and journey, both objective and personal, and ultimately reaching a new perception, returns to the people; a behavior that is not possible in the corners of rooms and requires cutting off all the boasting. The present study, using an analytical-descriptive approach, seeks to examine the characterization in this novel. "The Prophet Without Miracles" tells the story of a missionary journey of a cleric, who happens to be accompanied by his wife, to a remote area. The couple in the story get caught by evildoers halfway through the journey, and this catch is the beginning of a thrilling adventure. The results show that this novel is one of the novels of character; because its story revolves around the main character. Also, most of its main characters have dynamic personalities, and at the end of the story, each of them undergoes some kind of internal change and transformation.
Keywords: Characterization, Narrative, Novel, Prophet without miracles, Muhammad Ali Rukni.
Introduction
The story includes any type of writing in which the story of life is told in the form of a series of events (Brahini, 1982: 40). In his book “Aspects of the Novel”, E. M. Forster, an English novelist, defines a story as a narration and events that are organized based on a chronological sequence, and he also considers plot as a narration of the same temporal events, which this time are also influenced by the principle of causality (Forster, 1990: 112).
Every story is composed of elements such as subject, theme, character, point of view, scene, tone, space, language, action (incident), plot, time, place, style, and technique. Among the elements of a story, two elements of “action” and “character” play a fundamental role, so much so that it has been said that character is nothing but the definition of the event and the event is nothing but the definition of character, and in fact, all the factors of the story receive their existential cause from the factor of character (Abdollahian, 2002: 415). Character is the equivalent of the English word character, meaning to engrave or scratch deeply. In ancient Greece, this word was used for prose designs that were a collection of different types. This type of writing was founded by Theophrastus (372-287), a student of Aristotle. Of course, before him, Aristotle had analyzed characters in tragedy in his first study and analysis of fictional characters in “The Art of Poetry” (Aristotle, 1998: 47).
Personality is a set of individual instincts, tendencies, traits, and habits, or in other words, a set of material, spiritual, and moral qualities that manifest in an individual’s actions, behavior, and speech and distinguish him from other people (Yonesi, 1990: 531). Personality is also one of the elements that objectifies the social life of the story. It is not without reason that “André Gide” says with full emphasis: “Never express an opinion except through personality” (Braheni, 1982: 439).
Research method and questions
The research method of this article is a descriptive-analytical method based on library studies. After a brief discussion about the life and works of Mohammad Ali Rukni, the types of characters and methods of characterization in this novel will be analyzed. The questions of this research are as follows:
- How is the application of methods, types, and components of characterization in explaining the change of characters in "The Prophet Without Miracles"?
- What role do the secondary characters play in the objective and personal journey and behavior of the main character?
Discussion
The present study aims to examine the element of character in the novel "The Prophet Without a Miracle" by Mohammad Ali Rukni. This novel is the second novel by the well-known Qomi writer, who previously won the Shahid Ghanipour Book of the Year Award with the novel "The Stone That Didn't Fall." "The Prophet Without a Miracle" was also nominated for the 14th "Jalal Al-Ahmad" Literary Award in the "Long Story and Novel" section.
The novel that Rukni created falls into the category of character novels. A character novel is a novel in which the introduction of the characteristics is more important than the events, situations, and other elements of the story. In this novel, the characters have an independent existence and are not created based on the plot of the story. This means that the situation is typical; That is, they are created for this purpose to give the reader more information about the character or, introduce new characters to him (Mirsadeghi, 2015: 527). Therefore, “The Prophet Without Miracles” cannot be called a situation novel and should be included in the category of character novels.
The necessity of conducting this research is that by analyzing the characterization of this novel, it is possible to point out a corner of characterization in the works of writers of the nineties in order to pave the way for researchers interested in the new decades.
Conclusion
The novel "The Prophet Without Miracles" by Mohammad Ali Rokani is one of the path-breaking stories in which the main character gains a new understanding of the story through the journey and revelation that occurs to him. This novel is presented in the form of a contemporary novel. All the events, characters, dialogues, concerns, and even the character's inner self are contemporary; a student from the generation of the Sadat who wears the Prophet's clothes and is a person who lives in our time. In this novel, by choosing a Sayyed who is from the generation of the Prophet and wearing the Prophet's clothes on his body, Rukni seeks to play with meaning from the very beginning by choosing this character, and this novel should be placed in the category of meaningful and influential novels that will keep the audience's mind engaged with it for a long time after reading it. For example, in this novel, during the Camal’s proposal to disembark to determine the location of the Sultanabad Mosque, indirect references to the Prophet are seen. What the audience understands from the Prophet (PBUH) is an effort on his part; the attentive audience, based on the information and familiarity he has with the history, characteristics, and teachings of the Prophet, discovers the message of the story by adapting it, this modern story revives his previous acquaintances.
According to the studies, it was determined that this novel is a character novel and we do not see a place in the story without Sayyed Hamid. Throughout the story, the voice of Sayyed Hamid’s mind reaches the audience. At the end, we also watch the transformation of the main characters. In this story, geographical and spatial details are not important and the location of Six Hundred and Twenty is unknown. Cold, snow and the desert are also the background for the transformation of the main character.
There are about twenty characters in this novel, three of whom are women, two are young children, and the rest are men. Among the characters, several are introduced to the audience through the mind of Sayyed Hamid.
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