Social Alienation in Ghalib Halsa’s Novel Sultana

Abstract

The present study examines manifestations of social alienation in the novel Sulṭāna (1987). A basic premise of the study is that contemporary mankind exists in a state of cultural alienation shock, due to successive waves of tremendous change in many aspects of life and many components of social and cultural existence. To this must be added the political changes experienced by the Arab world after World War II, causing it be become divided into several small countries, followed by these countries' struggles for independence and their defeats against Israel in 1948, the war of the Tripartite Aggression against Egypt in 1956 and the defeat of 1967 against Israel. All of these events caused Arabs to shrink into themselves and wallow in feelings of disappointment, defeat and failureGhālib Halsā's novel Sulṭāna was chosen because of all the novels by this writer, it is the one that is most strongly imbued with the local atmosphere of his homeland, Jordan. In fact, the entire work reflects almost no other environment. In this environment social alienation is ever present. The novel shows how relations based on family solidarity and agricultural and tribal traditions have been transformed into commercial relations, leading to a disintegration of the family. The novel describes Jordan's countryside, its problems, its dilemmas, its clans and its tribes. It also moves to the city, where it focuses on revealing social flaws and behaviors in times in which authentic values have broken down.