Comparative Study of Story Elements in Two Short Works by Jalal Al Ahmad and Mahmoud Dowlatabadi

The present article is an endeavor to compare two Persian short stories "Goldasteha va Falak" by Jalal Al –e-Ahmad and "Paye Goldasteh Emamzadeh Shoaib” by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi from the point of view of story elements. To that end, the plot structure, character, scene, point of view, atmosphere, and theme are discussed. The main point in both of them concerns fighting against external social factors to achieve the demands. In terms of characterization, both authors mentioned characters that helped advance the subject. In the staging, both of them have considered a holy geographical place that is located in a rural context.  Both authors are capable of describing the details and depicting the places. The point of view in Al-Ahmad's writing is the first person or the omniscient, and in the writing of Dowlatabadi, it is the third person. The main theme in former is dedication while in the story of Dowlatabadi, it indicates the fate of time or the inevitable fate, from the beginning, hence the reader is introduced to characters who have no influence in their ordinary lives. The creation of space by both authors shows their ability to depict and express social problems in the expression of life details. Also, same parts in both works show the heavy atmosphere prevalent in the story.

Introduction

Story is one of the most fascinating literary genres, a format that takes a person to pieces of the past, present, and even the future, to lands seen and unseen. It mixes the real world with fantasy, and gives a person a taste of the joy of nourishing the soul. Jalal Al-Ahmad and Mahmoud Dowlatabadi are two renowned, prolific, and stylish writers who have been active figures in contemporary fiction for decades. They work on meticulous details that draw the readers’ attention gradually towards the subject of the story. In “Goldasteha va Falak,” Al-Ahmad shows that punishment not only had no effect on pursuing dreams, but also made them more enthusiastic about achieving their goals. This theme is precisely reflected in the story “Paye Goldasteh Imamzadeh Shoaib” by Dowlatabadi. The story “Paye Goldasteh va Falak” is from the book Five Stories after Jalal’s Death, published in 1972, but its setting dates back many years. The story “Paye Goldasteh Imamzadeh Shoaib” is from the book Goldasteha va Falak, published in 2002, and includes two stories.

method

This research examines the story elements in both stories using library resources and analytical-descriptive methods. The elements under study include: plot structure, point of view, scene, character, and theme. These elements are examined according to the definitions of fiction literature experts.

Analysis A comparative study of story elements in two works

3.1. Plot
The story of the Goldasteha and Falak begins with a desire to climb the spires, and the subsequent events of the story are shaped based on this, and generally change the position and condition of the main character of the story. Despite being aware of the punishments and consequences that followed climbing the spires, the narrator still wants to climb the spires of the mosque, and in this way, he takes his friends with him.
The situation and setting in the story of the “Paye Goldasteh Imamzadeh Shoaib” is different. The story begins with a geographical description of the tomb of Imamzadeh Shoaib and a brief history related to it.
In the plot of the story, there is either internal conflict or external conflict. The conflicts in both stories are remarkably similar, given the struggles of both characters.
3.2. Character and characterization
Overall, both stories, in addition to their colloquial style and tone, are based on a true story and realism. The characters are all ordinary people and visible to everyone.
In the first story, each of the characters becomes a symbolic function. The spires also symbolize the high-flying nature of man and the desire to fly and reach the sky and celestial bodies. The characters in both stories are often protesting, dissatisfied, and sometimes aggressive.
3.3. Scene and staging
In the story of Al Ahmad, the description of the location is related to the Mu'ayyir al-Mamalek Mosque, which has unfinished spires and a school near it, and the narrative of the story is limited to these two places and does not go beyond them.
In Dowlatabadi's story, the setting of the story is limited to Imamzadeh Shoaib, but the narrator begins by describing the geographic background of that region in detail and even gives the reader a poetic description of the surroundings.
3.4. Point of view
Al-Ahmad's story is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator who observes and describes what happened to him. Dowlatabadi's story is sometimes told from the third-person perspective, where he sees everything and reports in detail, leaving nothing out. In some places, the story is also written from the first-person perspective. As omniscient authors, these two authors are fully aware of the events and incidents, the natural and social environment, and the internal and external situations of the characters.
3.5. Content
The main themes in the first story are poverty, deprivation, and the parents' indifference to their children's mental state and their inner desires and wishes, as well as ignoring their tender and unadorned feelings in dealing with unforeseen and complicated situations.
In the second story, the theme of pain and suffering, hardship, and deprivation of some legitimate blessings and finally surrendering to basic needs is perceived. The deficiencies resulting from environmental conditions have a distinct color in both stories.

Conclusion
In both stories, the authors have used the people of the streets and the market to describe the characters in their stories. The characters, in comparison to each other, have been selected from the disadvantaged class of society in both stories, considering their themes. The way each character deals with the events that have occurred is very different.
The second category that is presented in both stories is poverty, hardship, lack of facilities, and improper use of educational methods, both at school and in the family.
The point of view in the story of Al-Ahmad is expressed in the first person and omniscient form. Dowlatabadi also benefited more from the first-person point of view in order to increase the truthfulness and believability of the story. Of course, in the initial introductions, it is in the third person.
Dowlatabadi is more precise in describing places, while Al-Ahmad goes through them quickly and relies more on the details and characteristics of the characters in the story. The special naturalism of both authors and their desire to be realistic and express the problems related to poverty and deprivation in remote villages or even in the city center indicate the disorder of the social conditions of that time, which both authors have managed to express well.
The clarity of expression and the presence of a clear message that indicates the realism of the story in both works attract the reader's attention; as it can be said that both authors have a realistic style.
The main themes of both stories are poverty and deprivation, as well as one of the fundamental problems of that era, the inattention of parents to the inner desires of their children.
One of the advantages of both stories is the correct atmosphere and the narrator's place, which leads the reader into the content of the story step by step.
Unlike some of his long stories, in this short story, Al-Ahmad did not interfere in the story and did not enter the narrator's language, but rather described it simply, sincerely, and directly. However, in Dowlatabadi's story, in cases such as the livelihood of the Imamzadeh's guardians, it seems that the author is present in the story and is making judgments; perhaps because this story was written during the author's maturity and after some long stories, this happened.