A Comparative Study of Social Prejudice in Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native (1878) and Mouloud Feraoun's Les chemins qui montent (1975)

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Date

2022

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Mouloud Mammeri University

Abstract

This dissertation explores and compares the theme of social prejudice and its implications on individuals in Thomas Hardy’s (1878) The Return of the Native and Mouloud Feraoun’s (1957) Les chemins qui montent. Our central purpose is to study the way Hardy and Feraoun represent social prejudice in their literary works. Gordon Allport’s (1954) theoretical framework The Nature of Prejudice provides the necessary knowledge for understanding the basis of social prejudice. The findings of this research paper are based on the female characters of both novels Eustacia and Dehbia. The two women struggle and fight against the social norms of their native villages to gain independence. The results also shed light on the male protagonists Clym and Amer who suffer from deception and anxiety because of their social environment. We concluded that, despite the distinct cultural origins, Hardy and Feraoun emotionally show how people can be affected by social pressure. Through Eustacia, Dehbia, Clym and Amer we understand the sorrowful situation a person can experience once being targeted.

Description

62p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)

Keywords

Hardy, Feraoun, Allport, prejudice, struggle, deception, society, pressure, judgmental

Citation

General and Comparative Literature