Symbolic Function of Motifs in Novel Saye-ye Malakh (The Shadow of the Grasshopper)

The novel Saye-ye Malakh (The Shadow of the Grasshopper) is one of the most successful novels in the field of war literature. This novel depicts the beginning of the imposed war in 1980s with the invasion of Ba'athist forces in one of the villages of Iran borders. Due to the importance of studying the motifs of literary works, this study analyzes the motifs of this work. These themes artistically create symbols and, in the structure of the work, cause coherence and create connections in the whole work. An analysis of the motif indicates that the wolf, the grasshopper, the thief, and the Iraqi are connected in multiple ways. Each of these is linked to the others through alternative concepts. As an instance, the grasshopper is associated with Iraq with its color and invasion. The wolf, for example, is intertwined with the Iraqi forces by brutality and terrorize. The thief communicates with these forces through his connection to destruction and being armed. Thus, a network of entities is associated with negative concepts to present a negative image of Iraqi forces and, in addition to their explicit meaning, they have a symbolic implication.
Introduction:
War literature is one of the important types of literature that has received more attention from Iranian literary critics in recent years. The study of these works reveals their connection with various historical and social aspects. Among the different literary works, those that are more prominent and more in line with the expectations of readers and critics are more important. In this way, studying these works also reveals some of the criteria of this group of readers and critics. One of these works is the novel Shadow of a grasshopper. by Mohammad Reza Bayrami (2004). Bayrami is one of the well-known writers of war stories, and this work can be considered as one of his most prominent and eye-catching works. The subject of this novel is the beginning of Saddam's invasion of Iran and its consequences.
There are different perspectives based on which the literary works can be studied, and each perspective reveals specific aspects of the text to a critic. The study of motifs in literary works has the ability to reveal both the thematic and aesthetic aspects of a work because it examines both structural and content aspects. First and foremost, in this research, the motifs of Shadow of a grasshopper are studied in order to uncover its hidden thematic and rhetorical aspects. These motifs are considered stylistic elements because of their repetitive and multifaceted use in the text.
Methodology:
In this research, a qualitative approach is used to study the motifs in Shadow of the grasshopper. To this end, the repeating elements in the novel are first extracted and, then, their symbolic aspects are analyzed. To study these symbolic aspects, the relationship between these motifs is discussed.
In this work, the second and, in some cases, the third definition of "motif" as proposed by Taqavi and Dehqan (2009) is being considered, as well as a definition mentioned by Parsansab (2009). Given the fluidity of motifs in multiple works and their specificity to each work, finding and explaining them will assist in the analysis of content and recognition of structure, rhetorical purposes, hidden textual goals, and concepts that the author is seeking through repetition of a unit in the text. In this text, there are recurring elements that transform the subject and concept into a symbol, and the discovery of these symbols aids in precise analysis and understanding of the rhetorical aspects of the text. These motifs, which have become symbolic, are associated with the representation of Iranian warriors and Iraqi forces in the war.
Abrams and Harpham distinguish between two types of symbols: 1) public or conventional, and 2) personal or private (Abrams and Harpham, 2012: 394; see Shamisa, 2006: 218-219 for examples of the two types in Persian literature, and Shamisa, 2006: 220 for his own classification). Public or conventional symbols are those which have been used repeatedly in various texts. On the contrary, personal or private symbols are the products of the artist's creativity (Shamisa, 2006: 218-219). Some of the symbols used in The Shadow of the Locust are of this type, and this fact contributes to the artistic superiority of this work compared to many other literary works about the war.
One important point about personal symbols is that repetition is a clue that helps a critic determine if an element is a symbol or not. In other words, if a word is repeated and there is a hidden meaning behind this repetition and that word has connotations for a range of secondary meanings, then that word can be considered as a symbol. This repetition is what creates a motif. With this explanation, it is possible for a motif to be a symbol (Payande, 2010: 165; for examples of motifs as symbols, ibid: 157, 165, and 390-391).
Conclusion:
In this study, the motifs in Shadow of the grasshopper, one of Bayrami's most successful works, are studied and the role of their symbols in the story has been discussed. The findings of this study in alignment with the research questions are as follows;
-In this work, the prominent motifs are soil, thieves, fire, wolves, and wolf eyes, which seem separate and unrelated at first glance, but are actually connected by the characteristics expressed by the author in the story; these connections and repetitions cause these motifs to become symbols. The locust is one of important motifs. This motif used in relation to invasion and destruction to soil and fire. The wolf is another important motif used in the context. This motif is used in relation to cruelty and captivity. There is a motif that is related to popular culture which is “the eyes of wolves.” This is used to create a sense of fear and surveillance. The motifs “thieves” and “fire” have the characteristics of plunder and destruction.
The identity of the Iraqi forces is related to the existing motifs in the work that have a symbolic role; such as destruction, rape, instilling fear, and the fear of the bravery of the opposing force. All of these portray a negative image of the Iraqi forces and link it to other negative concepts such as thief, wolf, locust, and fire. People of village in the novel must simultaneously confront all these destructive forces.