UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA EXISTENTIAL ABSURDITY AND ALIENATION IN KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS AND HEDAYAT’S THE BLIND OWL AZADEH DAVACHI FBMK 2009 2 EXISTENTIAL ABSURDITY AND ALIENATION IN KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS AND HEDAYAT’S THE BLIND OWL By AZADEH DAVACHI Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts May 2009 ABSTRACT Abstract of thesis presented to the senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Art EXISTENTIAL ABSURDITY AND ALIENATION IN KAFKA’S THE METAMORPHOSIS AND HEDAYAT’S THE BLIND OWL By Azadeh Davachi May 2009 Chairman: Rosli Talif, PhD Faculty: Modern Languages and Communication This study intended to illustrate and compare the specific existential elements such as absurdity and alienation portrayed by Hedayat and Kafka in The Metamorphosis and The Blind Owl. Elucidating how the two authors portrayed these notions in similar or different ways led to the idea that the selected works were similar to each other in terms of existential notions such as absurdity and alienation. The method utilized in this thesis was based on the comparative literature and the two works were treated as the surreal fictions since the characters and incidents were not real. In addition, this study delineated the fact that Hedayat II and Kafka employed philosophy of existentialism to testify the perplexed situation of human being’s condition in the contemporary world. Both authors, Kafka and Hedayat, suffered from the modern society’s complexities and tortures that captured their daily lives and also they endured the lack of mutual love and relationship among the members of their families and societies; thereby, they reflected all these concerns in the same way showing how contemporary man tolerates hardships imposed by alienation and world absurdity in a similar way and on the basis of existentialism. III ABSTRAK Abstrak tesis dikemukakan kepada Senat Universiti Putra Malaysia bagi memenuhi keperluan untuk ijazah Master Sastera. KEGANJILAN (ABSURDITY) DAN PENGASINGAN (ALIENATION) EKSISTENSIALISME DALAM KARYA “THE METAMORPHOSIS” OLEH KAFKA DAN KARYA HEDAYAT “THE BLIND OWL” Oleh Azadeh Davachi Mei 2009 Pengerusi: Rosli Talif, PhD Fakulti: Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana konsep keganjilan (absurdity) dan pengasingan (alienation) dipaparkan oleh Kafka dan Hedayat dalam karya The Metamorphosis dan The Blind Owl. Selain itu, ia menunjukkan sejauh mana kedua-dua konsep yang digambarkan adalah serupa atau berbeza antara satu sama lain. Kajian ini mendekati kedua-dua teks tersebut dengan membandingkan hasil- hasil karya Kafka dan Hedayat berasaskan dua konsep eksistensialisme, iaitu keganjilan (absurdity) dan pengasingan (alienation). Hedayat dan Kafka telah IV mengaplikasikan aspek eksistensialisme yang serupa untuk melihat keadaan manusia pada zaman moden Kedua-dua pengarang tersebut, Kafka dan Hedayat, pernah mengalami penderitaan dari keperitan dan penyeksaan yang memerangkap kehidupan masa kini dan mereka telah menggambarkan keperitan tersebut sebagaimana yang dialami. Sepertimana yang ditunjukkan oleh kajian ini, Hedayat banyak dipengaruhi oleh hasil-hasil karya Kafka. Walaupun berasal dari dua negara yang berbeza, mereka melaungkan aspek eksistensialisme yang serupa dalam The Metamorphosis dan The Blind Owl. V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all who supported me to complete this thesis. I especially would like to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Dr Rosli Talif (chair), and my co-supervisor Dr. Wan Roselezam Wan Yahya, for their continuous support and encouragement throughout my studies. Their ideas and guidance have enlightened me on how to undertake research works effectively. There are many people who have helped me significantly during the development of this thesis. A special dedication goes to my parents who supported me a lot during these years although they are not here in Malaysia. Finally, my heartfelt appreciation goes to all my friends who motivated me to complete this work. VI APPROVAL This thesis submitted to the Senate of University Putra Malaysia and has been accepted as fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art . Members of the supervisory Committee were follows: Rosli Talif , PhD Associate Professor Faculty of Modern Languages and Communications Universiti Putra Malaysia (Chairman) Wan Roselezam Wan Yahya , PhD Lecturer Faculty of Modern Languages and Communications Universiti Putra Malaysia ( Member) Hasanah Mohd Ghazali, PhD Professor and Dean School of Graduate Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia Date: 16 October 2009 VII DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis is based on my original work except for quotations and citations which have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted for any other degree at University Putra Malaysia or other institutions. AZADEH DAVACHI Date: 20.02.2009 VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT II ABSTRAK IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VI APPROVAL VII DECLARATION VIII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 5 1.3 Scope and Limitations of the Study 7 1.4 Conceptual Theory 8 1.4.1 Absurdity 9 1.4.2 Alienation 11 1.5 Research Questions 14 1.6 Objectives of the Study 15 1.7 Significance of the Study 15 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 19 2.1 Introduction 19 2.2 An overview of comparative literature 19 2.3 An Overview of Existentialism 24 2.4 Absurdity 26 2.5 Alienation 34 2.6 Previous Studies on Franz Kafka’s Works 43 2.6.1 Previous study on Franz Kafka 43 2.6.2 Previous study on The Metamorphosis 49 IX