Analysis of the novel “Mard-e Kaboud

Yousefi, Hadi; Rezaee, Behzad

doi:10.30465/lir.2025.49644.1901

Analysis of the novel “Mard-e Kaboud " by "Payam Azizi"According to Jacques Lacan's psychoanalyst perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hadi Yousefi ¹

Behzad Rezaee ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor University, Iran, Tehran

² Master's student of Persian language and literature, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/lir.2025.49644.1901

Abstract

Introduction
Psychoanalytic criticism is one of the new methods in the field of literary studies, especially interdisciplinary research, and is the result of their communication and collaboration. Freud and great theorists such as Jung, Adler, Fromm, Melanie Klein, Wincott, etc., followed Freud in the path of psychoanalytic criticism and conducted studies; but the only person who revived Freudian criticism was the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. By understanding the relationship between the symbolic system and the subject and proposing the view that the unconscious has a structure similar to language, he created a new way to understand the maneuver of unconscious desire in the text. Through his studies, Lacan justified and explained difficult but not alien terms such as the imaginary field, the mirror stage, the symbolic, the real, and the subject, the language-like structure of the unconscious, fantasy, jouissance, lack, and the phallus - which are used in the fields of literature and cultural studies. The key element of Lacan’s perspective is the issue of loss; a loss that a person is caught in and must seek and live throughout his life And this issue became an influential factor in conducting the present study on the novel " Mard-e Kaboud " by "Payam Azizi" (winner of the "Wow" literary award), a novel in which loss plays a prominent role and the main character of the novel is constantly tormented by a fundamental loss.
Materials & Methods
The present study will examine and analyze the novel " Mard-e Kaboud " by "Payam Azizi" in a descriptive-analytical manner based on Lacan's ideas, with the explanation that the aim of the present study is not simply to examine and identify the element of loss; but rather the psychoanalytic terms used in Lacan's thought will be examined and adapted to the original text as far as they are applicable in the field of literature and the story allows it so that the reader, in addition to better understanding the novel, can see examples of Lacanian terms in the literary text and, consequently, in human life.

Discussion & Result
The novel " Mard-e Kaboud " is classified as a psychological novel in terms of content And Payam Azizi has managed to create a different work by breaking the habit of creating the novel, so that the reader can see tirelessness and passing through different signifiers from a new perspective And for this reason, a new reading of the aforementioned text has been provided based on the ideas of psychology and especially Lacanian criticism In order to recognize the hidden layers of the text, including traumatic factors and elements of the emergence of psychological blockage in the fictional character and the methods of removing it, the effect of linguistic factors (language system and metaphor) in expressing or suppressing the subject's desire, the superego's prevention of the subject's transformation and passivity, etc., all of which have been well explained by Lacan.
Conclusion
A study and reading of the novel based on Lacan's theory shows that many of the elements in Lacan's ideas are present in the novel Mard-e Kaboud; however, the story's axis is formed around two concepts: "father's name" and "psychological blockages." The story begins with a description of the teacher's moments of mental impasse and increases in intensity until the end of the story. The large volume of punctuation marks in the text indicates the dominance of this state that the teacher is unable to describe accurately. Another interesting point of note in the novel is that all the characters are nameless and their identification and distinction is based on their distinctive attributes or jobs (savior, boxer, one hundred and thirty kilos, supervisor, manager, blue man, etc.). This narrative flow itself shows the heavy shadow of reality that has made it difficult to name and symbolize the reality of phenomena, but the teacher sometimes uses the element of description - which is to some extent a relative treatment of mental blockage and an aid in symbolizing phenomena - to express traumatic factors. The most important factors that solve the problem in moments of spiritual blockage in the novel The Blue Man are: the principal's calm and occasional behavior with the teacher and his guidance in the classroom management method, which has a positive effect on the teacher's psyche, The language system and linguistic metaphors guide the subject to express or suppress desire in the best possible way. The phallus, as a bridge to achieve the ultimate goal, repeatedly gives the teacher hope to continue as a teacher throughout the story. The superego by stimulating the teacher's conscience, helps him continue the symbolic system and get out of passivity; but the only problem is its excessive dependence on the meaningfulness of the ideology of the symbolic system. It also works better where it is used with the phallus. The pure sense of jouissance is so pleasurable for the teacher that the teacher's futility does not wear him down, he becomes more resistant to hardships and even willing to be punished. Also, the most important factor in the continuity of the symbolic system of this novel, unlike other novels - where the "small object a" plays a central role - is the phallus element, and the small object a has a hidden role, especially in relation to the teacher. Also, in this novel, separation - which is a proof of the subject's rationality and desire – occurs, The most important factors involved in it, in order of importance, are: the subject's disappointment in obtaining the phallus and the small object a, disruption in the function of the father's name, loss of meaning in the symbolic system, and the interference of the imaginary space of the teacher's colleagues in the symbolic system (the narcissism and pride of the retired teacher and the supervisor).

Keywords

Lacanian critique

fiction

novel

Payam Azizi

Mard-e Kaboud

Subjects

Literary interdisciplinary research

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