ALIENATION AND IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION IN FADIA FAQIR’S WILLOW TREES DON’T WEEP

Abstract

ABSTRACT

 

 

 

Introduction : This study discusses two common aspects in modern Anglophone literature: alienation, more specifically, different dimensions of alienation that individuals may experience in everywhere, and identity transformation, through a novel written by the British Jordanian, Fadia Faqir, Willow Trees Don’t Weep (2013). The notion of alienation is the main issue in the selected novel and a common theme in many novels written today. Alienation has different dimensions i.e., physical alienation, when a person lives outside his or her culture in a different location from his/her native society, or psychological when someone experiences alienation within his/her society. This study will shed light on the outcomes of these alienation experiences which leads to identity transformation. Identity transformation is what happens when a character experiences alienation and tries to make changes to find him/her true self by taking certain actions like moving to another area or country or looking into elements from their past. The study also aims to show how the identity transformation of the main characters differs in the course of the novel, and how this results in a further sense of alienation. 

Methodology: Based on the research objectives and questions, the researcher will use the thematic descriptive-analytic methodology. It is a qualitative –descriptive research; this technique employs verbal and non-numerical facts as a foundation for analysis and problem resolution (Farkhan, 2007, p.2).  The research utilized the researcher's own self as the basic instrument for gathering data including a variety of methods such as reading a novel or texts to be studied repeatedly , determining the important parts to be included in the research, classifying and writing notes and comments. The researcher also read many articles, books and journals which are related to the research. The unit of analysis in this research is the novel of writer Fadia Faqir, Willow Trees Do not Weep, in terms of Seeman’s theory of alienation.  Which was published by Heron Books in 2014. Results: the findings of the writer's analysis of Faqir's Willow Trees Don't Weep are demonstrated in the research. The analysis is based on the experiences of the characters in the novel. In that research, the author discovered five kinds based on Seaman’s five aspects of alienation (1959). Characters' experiences are heavily impacted by psychological, social, cultural, religious, and political factors. The factors and senses of alienation play an important role in construction someone’s identity. Najwa’s identity is constructed as a result of experiencing different senses of alienation. So her identity experiences a kind of conflict to reach the full constructed identity. It is apparent that the processes and experiences she had while tracing her father via Pakistan, Afghanistan, and England have influenced her to establish her identity and become flexible with each culture. This also demonstrates how vital it is for someone to have a distinct identity as a means of self-representation and, at the same time, as a means of characterizing themselves in the face of differences and similarities. Clearly we can notice that different sense of alienation that Najwa experiences had an influence on the construction of her identity. Conclusion: the various sorts of alienation as depicted by Seeman’s theory of alienation and portrayed in Willow Trees Don’t Weep, were addressed in depth. It has been identified that there are five types of alienation according to Seeman’s theory. It has been concluded in this study that the process of constructing of the main characters' identity is largely influenced by their experiences of alienation in various cultures. Distinct cultures reflect different identities, and they are changed through time depending on where one lives and the extent of sense of alienation that he/she experiences.