The aim of this paper is to cover the topic of the anxious diasporic and psychologically displaced identity of a Palestinian exiled female protagonist, Rayya, in Yasmine Zahran’s novel, A Beggar at Damascus Gate. It essentially draws on concepts such as identity, ambivalence, nationalism, psychological displacement and home. The central emphasis is put on examining how the main character, Rayya’s anxious, cynical, ironic and disturbed state of mind as well as her torn identity were triggered and cultivated by the psychological displacement that she has suffered throughout her life. Through textual analysis, this paper also sheds light on how her experience as a Palestinian exiled and Arab diasporic entity determined and re-shaped her identity: that is, a torn, contradictory, disoriented and indecisive identity towards her surroundings, her perspectives on other individuals as well as her social relations.
Sultan Moulay Slimane University
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Course: Arab Literature in English Language
2019
Moujane Assma
The Anxious Diasporic Identity and Psychological Displacement of the Female Protagonist in Yasmine Zahran’s novel: A Beggar at Damascus Gate
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to cover the topic of the anxious diasporic and psychologically displaced identity of a Palestinian exiled female protagonist, Rayya, in Yasmine Zahran’s novel, A Beggar at Damascus Gate . It essentially draws on concepts such as identity, ambivalence, nationalism, psychological displacement and home. The central emphasis is put on examining how the main character, Rayya’s anxious, cynical, ironic and disturbed state of mind as well as her torn identity were triggered and cultivated by the psychological displacement that she has suffered throughout her life. Through textual analysis, this paper also sheds light on how her experience as a Palestinian exiled and Arab diasporic entity determined and re-shaped her identity: that is, a torn, contradictory, disoriented and indecisive identity towards her surroundings, her perspectives on other individuals as well as her social relations. Moreover, Rayya’s anxiety spans from dimensions and effects of a lost home or mother land that restrain her existence and validation in the community where she resides. Her nationalism, ideological background and cultural difference created an ambivalent relationship with Alex, her British lover, and it hugely afflicts her perceptions. Hence, this paper investigates the torn, anxious state of mind that the female exiled, Rayya, experiences within a diasporic and displaced ambience.
Key words: Anxiety, identity, psychological displacement, ambivalence, home, irony, exile, belongings, nationalism, identity, sense of loss, confusion and outrage.
Introduction
- Historical Synopsis
The controversial and long-lasting cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains one of the unsolvable and inevitable issues in the Middle-East. Given the fact that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been an international, cosmopolitan conflict, it has involved not only Middle Eastern countries but also Western ones. It is a conflict that transcends political conflicts of borderlines and siege. In fact, it rather provokes heated debates and tensions that cease in cultural and identity conflicts and clashes.
The pressure imposed on diasporic exiled Palestinians creates a cultural and identity sense of loss and displacement not only at the physical level but also at the psychological level. This loss and displacement is noticeable more in Palestinian Diasporic writings and creative works. In addition to Yasmine Zahran’s A Beggar at Damascus Gate, Susan Abulhawa’s novels Mornings in Jenin and The Bleu Between Sky and Water are striking novels in the Arab Literature in English, more specifically in Palestinian Diasporic writing that tackle major issues of identity and displacement.
Those who were expelled of Palestine around the 1948 and the years following as well as those who are still living inside Palestine share one common concern, obsession, goal and dream: a Palestine where Palestinians could authentically and unconditionally possess their original land without any constrains. Until then, the feelings of anxiety and psychological displacement are pressingly attendant, and that is reflected in the character of Rayya more or less: in her persistence and determination.
It could be relevant to state that the Arab Nakba along with the failure of Pan Arabism under Gamal Abdel Nasser around the 1950s up to the 1960s were among the reasons that contribute to the Palestinians disappointment and discouragement of having a united Palestine. The conflict revolves around the land; and within the land’s loss, dimensions of belongings, nationalism, identity, displacement and existence are earnestly triggered. This paper looks at these dimensions in association with the anxious identity and psychologically displaced protagonist Rayya.
The concept of identity is very influential not only in cultural studies but also in psychological studies, for identity results in major impacts on individuals’ psyche and state of mind. In fact, identity is quite complex and broad to be given a precise definition “There has been a veritable discursive explosion in recent years around the concept of 'identity', at the same moment as it has been subjected to a searching critique.” (Hall 1996. 1) It was given many definitions and categorizations given the fact that identity is similar to the concept culture in the sense that they both evolve and change throughout history. The latter is affective in its changeable nature; other social, economical, cultural and political factors are also significant in affecting the concept of identity. Thus, identity remains a non-stable concept that could be affected by the circumstances it surround it, as Stuart Hall puts it “Identity is such a concept - operating 'under erasure' in the interval between reversal and emergence” (Hall 1996. 2)
Part1: Anxiety in A Beggar at Damascus Gate.
The story commenced when a Lebanese archeologist found out journals and notebooks belonging to two lovers during his stay in a rest house in Petra, Jordan. The setting is basically January 1980; however, the story and the events contained in the journals date back to three years earlier, 1977, and it will take another ten years for the narrator to ultimately meet Rayya in person. Through his readings of the notebooks, the narrator will provide readers with profound details and information on the lovers’ story, their different ideologies, and their intentions towards each other as well as the denouement of their love story. What characterizes the story from the very beginning is the tension felt between the lovers; although they are lovers, their circumstances and different ideologies created an uneasy barrier in between them. The tension between Raya and Alex draws on ambivalent feelings of love and hatred. The latter is a result of cultural difference which leads to uneasiness and anxiety especially for Rayya. Rayya is Palestinian and is deeply attached to her origins, yet she is in love with a British man.
The concept of ambivalence was used by Homi K. Bhabha in the postcolonial terrain. It could be used in this context in relation to Rayya and Alex relationship. It also could be applied to the relationship between two different cultures, two different ideologies, and mainly in relation to their identities. More or less this novel could be considered as a postcolonial novel, and since ambivalence contributed to the disturbance, the split and the rift of the colonized identities, it is quite the same for the characters.
Alex and Rayya’s relationship is purely ambivalent and dual. This is a result of their difference. They belong to different cultures and different ideologies, and they adopt different perceptions. What contributes more to the ambivalence is the fact that they do not only belong to two different cultures, they also sense the conflicted and heated relationship between their countries, politically and culturally speaking. Thus, the different cultures, the religion, the politics and the national motives each one holds for their country bring them into this third space, affecting their identity as for Rayya creating the Anxiety within her personality and psyche altogether. Alex treachery provokes such contradictory feelings more and made Rayya to be double exiled, as it is demonstrated in the following passage:
“With this veiled threat and with a fear of the proof of his treachery hanging over my mind, I began to retreat into a world where I could escape shocks and jolts; it was an exile within exile, a retreat within retreat.” (A Beggar at Damascus Gate, p.78)
- Rayya’s obsession with Palestine.
Rayya’s obsession with Palestine and the idea of coming back home or coming back to one’s origins and her ambivalent relationship subscribes to her anxiety. Her obsession with Palestine is manifested throughout the novel’s lines and plot; her words and the tone of her voice do address her obsession to which she was blamed for many times by Alex. She could not release her mind of the obsession with her country nor could she retrieve from her admiration and love of Alex. The obsession and the ongoing attachment of Rayya to her homeland generated ambivalent feelings of an anxious disturbed mindset. In addition to the ambivalent feelings towards her lover, Rayya’s anxiety is caused by multiple feelings relatable to her own psyche such as guilt, sadness, confusion and anger. Most diasporic identities experience these feelings at some point of their lives, as Edward Said argues: “so many individuals have experienced the up-rooting and dislocations that have made them expatriates and exiles.” (Said 2000) in fact, the uprooting of one’s origins immensely attributes to their sense of loss.
- A female torn psychology, drawing on Confusion, guilt, sadness and anger.
Anxiety results from many factors. Rayya’s anxiety is mainly a result of her situation as an exiled identity. The obsession with her origins and the ultimate return that she wished for herself and the Palestinian community did contribute to the idea of anxiety. In other words, Rayya wished, dreamt of and longed for a return that does not include only her but also an entire nation. In fact, Rayya’s situation is similar to an agent that pre-determines her life to free her country and nation. It is a burden on her shoulders and it is her responsibility to fight and free the nation. And since she cannot do that physically, she is psychologically undergoing an experience of total uncontrollable dislocation. “It was as if she were living in a shack in a desert and not in Paris.” (A Beggar At Damascus Gate90) Whether it is done by her own will and conscious or by a moral, national sense that she cannot control, Rayya is condemned to hold that dream of a free Palestine as long as she is alive.
The Anxiety is motivated by many negative and unsettling feelings such as confusion, guilt, sadness, and anger. Rayya is confused as regards her strong sense of nationalism and devotion to Palestine and her love to Alex. She is melancholic for she can neither leave Alex, nor get over the ideological and cultural differences between them. As a result, she turns into an angry and outrageous person crucially due to her situation and her helplessness when it comes to saving her grandfather’s land and origins from deterioration and decay.
What makes Rayya’s situation worse is the fact that she is a woman. She is a female Arab Palestinian, with her torn indecisive and disoriented identity. It could be said that Rayya has a double resistance in a way or another. She is fighting for the Palestinian cause as a Palestinian and at the same time as a woman. Rayya’s struggle is doubled and is manifested in her notebooks and journals. The fact that she writes untidy and most of her passages are not neat nor clear reflects the inner conflicting emotions that her psyche, her consciousness and her personality are undergoing.
Another line of thought on Rayya’s experience as a female is quite similar to black women double resistance within the once-colonized countries. Rayya’s nationality as well as her sex and gender within an Arab background determine her perspective and destiny more or less. For instance, her allusion to superstition and fortune tellers reveals the dilemma in which she dwells. It justifies in a sense that she is not as assured and confident as Alex. The latter is quite neat and clear in his journal. Even the narrator himself resorts quickly to Alex’s notebooks so as to retrieve from Rayya’s anxious and tense notebooks.
Part2: Psychological Displacement in A Beggar at Damascus gate
Rayya’s presence is significantly symbolic; her personality, character and psyche are significant and problematic. She is the embodiment of a whole oppressed, exiled and anxious nation, more or less. Her anxiety is originated from within her dislocated, disoriented identity that is no longer physical but rather psychological. In fact, Rayya is undergoing a psychological process of displacement in which concepts such as home and nationalism are of major influence on her character overall. She is subconsciously aware of her dislocation as she once admitted to Alex: “She replied that each of us carries his interior landscape” ( A Beggar at Damascus Gate 90)
- The concept of home.
It could be reasonably conducted that Rayya’s obsession with Palestine is hugely affected by her strong desire of coming back to one’s origins: home. The concept of home in this novel is felt and dominant from the very beginning. Rayya’s home is Palestine; it is her mother land. Alex himself believed that Palestine and mother are both mixed together for Rayya. Her mother and her country have the same value. In fact, home is almost a dream for Rayya. The concept of home is of great impact on diasporic or exiled identities as manifested in John Mclead’s book Beginning Postcolonialism, the 7th chapter Diaspora Identities:
“The idea of the home country becomes split from the experience of returning home, Naipaul’s example helps us understand Avtar Brah’s statement that “‘home” is a mythic place of desire in the diasporic imagination. In this sense it is a place of no-return, even if it is possible to visit the geographical territory that is seen as the place of “origin”” (Cartographies of Diaspora, p. 192). (Beginning Postcolonialism, p. 209)
It is a commentary on the concept of home for diasporic and migrants, specifically on V.S. Naipaul’s memoir ‘prologue to an Autobigraphy. This example elaborates the case of Rayya’s anxiety caused by the concept of home. Home is also a mythic place for Rayya. She could visit the physical place, yet her exile is the mind; it is a psychological displacement that is displayed in the concept of home that lingers in her imagination or rather in her sub-conscious.
In the same vein, McLead gave the example of V.S Naipaul’s of Indian indentured laborers who were promised to be sent back to India from Trinidad.
“Seven Weeks later the Ganges reached Calcutta. And there, to the terror of the passengers, the Ganges was stormed by hundreds of derelicts, previously repatriated, who wanted now to be taken back to the other place. India for these people had been a dream of home, a dream of continuity after the illusion of Trinidad. All the India they had found was the area around the Calcutta docks.
Our own past was, like our idea of India, a dream.” (p.53) (Beginning Postocolonialism, p. 209)
This example explains the idea of home as an illusion or dream. In fact, these two passages seem to be very relevant and advocate to the state of Rayya as an exiled, diasporic and immigrant more or less. She keeps the idea of Palestine as a home in her mind, as a dream or illusion that is physically and emotionally unavailable. The latter caused Rayya an obsessive and exhausting state of anxiety. Rayya puts herself in a state of tension; the latter is mainly caused by her strong yearning to her mother.
“I tried to tell her that these periods were the antithesis of the excessive amounts of energy she spent, that her state of constant tension necessitates those empty shells so that she could be recharged. She listened to me and said nothing. Were these states connected with her dead mother? She rarely spoke of her, but her longing for Palestine was mingled with a yearning for her mother.” (A Beggar at Damascus Gate, p.58)
Drawing on the idea of home country as a dream, as an illusion, Rayya sees in Palestine the image of her mother. Her dead mother is embodied in Palestine: home. The absent-present, abstract idea of it haunts her conscious and memory. The strong attachment, the dream and the illusion of coming back to the origins is the core of Rayya’s anxiety. Thus, the concept of home is deliberately embodied in Palestine and in the abstract meaning of Mother. In postcolonial terrain, home has a magnificent significance to nations. It is illustrated in the following passage.
“To be possessed by the light of the Jerusalem hills is to be in a frenzy, for chemically it does something to your nerve cells. Someday they will find the secret and export vials of Jerusalem light. Her tone was half cynical, and yet how often did she repeat, “I am starving for that light””. (A Beggar at Damascus Gate, p.17)
Building on this passage as well as the previous interpretations of the concept of home for, it may be well argued that Rayya has developed a weighty obsession that controls her mindset and her consciousness. Rayya’s sense of loss and dislocation are embodied in her profound longing and yearning for homeland. Her cynical manner and irony is a mere reflection of her inner contradictory, torn and broken identity within her exiled, displaced self.
Rayya’s sense of belongings draws on her sense of nationalism. As the case with the majority of diasporic identities, nationalism is decisive in constructing their sense of belonging. It could be compatible to evoke Benedict Anderson definition of nationalism in relation to nations and communities, in his book Imagined Communities:
“In an anthropological spirit, then, I propose the following definition of the nation. It is an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.
It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.” (Imagined Communities, p.6)
Rayya’s sense of nationalism and her attachment to her nation is conclusive in the way she maintains her mindset and state of thought. She has developed an imagined communion regardless of her physical exile. As a matter of fact, it is quite plain that Rayya inclined herself to become outrageous and disturbed as a consequence of her profound longing for a homeland. McLead in the chapter Diaspora Identities states:
“Let us probe deeper into the ways in which ‘home’ is imagined in diaspora communities. The concept of ‘home’ often performs an important function in our lives. It can act as a valuable means of orientation by giving us a sense of our place in the world. It tells us where we originated from and where we belong. As an idea it stands for shelter, stability, security and comfort.”( Beginning postcolonialismp. 210)
In fact, Mclead definition of the concept of home and Anderson’s definition of community are quite legible as regards the displacement of Rayya. Her disorientation, sense of loss and psychological displacement are intrinsically affected by her inability of having a fixed physical home to which she can resort, escape and retreat whenever she feels the need to. Without home Rayya is anxious about her country lost past heritage, that she can no longer maintain or fight for, then her current disoriented present in which she is immersed and completely torn by and finally in her hopeless ambiguous future, that is neither clear nor hopeful.
Conclusion
To conclude, this paper aimed to shed light on the anxious and displaced psyche and identity of the female diasporic protagonist Rayya in, A Beggar at Damascus Gate . Since the idea of anxiety is present and felt throughout the novel, many circumstances and factors are there to prove it, starting with the obsession with her homeland, to the negative feelings of confusion, guilt, sadness and anger up to the concept of home. Each part attempted to prove the point that anxiety as a state of mind or pattern of thought for Rayya is caused by her psychological displacement. The latter is in its turn a result of the physical displacement. Moreover, the ambivalent feelings of Rayya are intrinsically triggered by her cultural difference, her nationalism and effects of her ideological background. However, anxiety is not only a consequence of displacement, it is also a result of a torn identity determined by a female disoriented personality within a lost land.
Written in 1995, A Beggar at Damascus Gate,by Yasmine Zahran then is one of the most interesting diasporic novels that address issues of identity and cultural difference. However, this paper was mainly concerned with the anxious diasporic identity and psychological displacement of the female protagonist in A Beggar at Damascus Gate, taken into consideration concepts such as home, ambivalence and disturbed personalities within a lost homeland.
References:
Zahran, Yasmine. A Beggar at Damacus Gate. Sausalito California: The Post – Apolio Press, 1995. Print.
McLeod John. Beginning Postcolonialism. Manchester. New York: Manchister University Press. 2000.
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London and New York: Quebecor World, Fairfield. 2006.
Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. London and New York: Routledge. 1994. Print.
Said, Edward. Reflections on Exile and Other Literary and Cultural Essays. New York: Raritan Review, The London Review of Books,andCritical Inquiry , 2000.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Analysis of "A Beggar at Damascus Gate"
What is the central theme explored in this analysis of "A Beggar at Damascus Gate"?
The central theme explored is the anxious diasporic identity and psychological displacement of the female protagonist, Rayya, in Yasmine Zahran's novel, A Beggar at Damascus Gate.
What key concepts are used to analyze Rayya's identity?
The analysis draws on concepts such as identity, ambivalence, nationalism, psychological displacement, and home to examine Rayya's state of mind and her torn identity.
How does the analysis explain Rayya's anxiety?
Rayya's anxiety is explained as being triggered and cultivated by the psychological displacement she has suffered throughout her life as a Palestinian exile. Her experience shapes her identity in contradictory and disoriented ways.
What are the key words associated with this analysis?
Key words include: Anxiety, identity, psychological displacement, ambivalence, home, irony, exile, belongings, nationalism, sense of loss, confusion, and outrage.
How does the Palestinian-Israeli conflict relate to Rayya's experience?
The historical context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict creates a cultural and identity sense of loss and displacement for diasporic Palestinians, impacting them both physically and psychologically. This is reflected in Rayya's character.
What is the significance of ambivalence in Rayya's relationship with Alex?
The analysis employs the concept of ambivalence, influenced by Homi K. Bhabha, to explain the tension and conflicting feelings between Rayya and Alex due to cultural differences and differing ideologies, leading to anxiety for Rayya.
How does Rayya's obsession with Palestine contribute to her anxiety?
Rayya's strong attachment to Palestine and the idea of returning home creates ambivalent feelings that contribute to her anxiety. This obsession stems from a deep-seated sense of longing and loss.
What psychological states are linked to Rayya's anxiety?
Rayya's anxiety is linked to feelings of confusion, guilt, sadness, and anger, resulting from her situation as an exiled identity and her inability to reclaim her homeland.
How does Rayya's gender affect her experience of exile and displacement?
As a female Arab Palestinian, Rayya faces a double resistance, fighting for the Palestinian cause as both a Palestinian and a woman, which amplifies her struggles and conflicting emotions.
What is the concept of 'home' in relation to Rayya's psychological displacement?
The concept of 'home' is critical as Rayya's obsession with Palestine stems from a strong desire to return to her origins. 'Home' becomes a mythic place, a dream that remains out of reach, contributing to her psychological displacement.
How does nationalism influence Rayya's sense of belonging?
Nationalism is decisive in constructing Rayya's sense of belonging. She develops an "imagined communion" with her nation, even in physical exile, which intensifies her longing for a homeland and leads to outrage and disturbance.
What is the overall conclusion of this analysis?
The analysis concludes that Rayya's anxiety and displaced psyche are central to her character in A Beggar at Damascus Gate. Her psychological displacement, stemming from physical displacement, leads to a torn identity shaped by cultural differences, nationalism, and the loss of her homeland.
What references are used to build on the ideas of the text?
The reference material includes A Beggar at Damascus Gate by Yasmine Zahran, Beginning Postcolonialism by John McLeod, Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson, The Location of Culture by Homi K. Bhabha, and Reflections on Exile and Other Literary and Cultural Essays by Edward Said.
- Citar trabajo
- Assma Moujane (Autor), 2019, The Anxious Diasporic Identity and Psychological Displacement of the Female Protagonist in Yasmine Zahran’s novel "A Beggar at Damascus Gate", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/509023
