THE QUEST FOR INDIVIDUALITY IN FARIBA VAFI’S MY BIRD

Elnaz Valaei Bakhshayesh¹ and Seyed Reza Ebrahimi
¹Ms., Arab Open University, Muscat

Abstract

One of the common themes in contemporary Persian novels in Iran is the psychological development of women and their challenge to find their path towards individuality. By applying Jungian “process of individuation,” Fariba Vafi’s novel My bird is analyzed to uncover the self- development of the female character. The motion of self-archetype is studied in relation to Jung’s theory of individuality to study how the female protagonist experiences this process of personality development. The motif of re-birth emerges at the end of the novel when the female heroine reaches a level of recognition of the changes occurring within her. Other archetypal motifs that appear in the novel are the house archetype, the shadow archetype, and the individuation archetype which are discussed as they are the main structuring elements in the formation of the theme of the novel. This research aims to study how the psychological development of the female protagonist, based on Jung’s archetypal theories, occurs.

Key words: Jung’s archetypes, shadow archetype, house archetype, individuation archetype.