Browsing by Author "Ben Ahmed Celine"

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    The Phenomenon of the Doppelgänger in Maurice Edelman’s The Fratricides (1963)
    (Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou, 2025) Ben Ahmed Celine; Ben AbdMeziem Samira
    This thesis examines the psychological and ethical aspects of Dr. Hassid, the protagonist of Maurice Edelman‘s The Fratricides, during the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). At the beginning, Hassid shows a divided self that is torn between his identity as a French Algerian citizen, on the one hand, and his roots as a Jew, on the other side. He is a doctor committed to care yet trapped within a society that punishes compassion when it crosses political lines. It examines this internal division through the concept of the doppelgänger, not as a supernatural double, but as a metaphor for his fractured self. His quiet gestures, his hesitation, and even his attachment to classical music all reflect a struggle between moral conscience and political fear. At this early stage, Hassid avoids full engagement, remaining cautious, perhaps even passive, as he tries to survive in a polarized world. However, as the plot advances, a notable transformation happens, and the doppelgänger character starts to disappear eventually. Hassid starts to change from his symbolic and passive resistance to an active one. He treats wounded FLN members without fear despite mounting threats. This choice, to stand by the oppressed, helps to solve his internal split. Through his direct involvement with the struggle and facing the threats of the OAS organization, Hassid is now someone who refuses to betray his ethical and human principles, even at the cost of his life. Ultimately, this study concluded that the doppelgänger metaphor dissolved by the end of the novel, not because the conflict disappears, but because Hassid had made a choice. In tracing this transformation, the paper highlighted how Edelman uses fiction to show that resistance can take many forms through Vardoulakis‘s theory of the Doppelgänger.