Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the portrayal of trees in Fadia Faqir’s <em>Willow Trees Don’t Weep</em> (2014) and Hisham Matar’s <em>In the Country of Men</em> (2006) in order to demonstrate the way these authors employ trees to reflect the exilic experiences of their characters. It looks at the symbolic function that trees play and demonstrates the central position they occupy in the two texts. Although the issue of exile has been thoroughly considered in Arabic literature in diaspora, in this paper, it will be examined from a new perspective by focusing on the representation of trees in the texts and highlighting how Faqir’s Najwa and Matar’s Suleiman turn to trees for solace at moments of desperation and despondency while in exile.
Highlights
From the earliest stories and legends, trees have carried layers of cultural symbolism, religious imagery, world’s mythologies, individual histories and community memories
Through analysing the different images of trees, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: What role do trees play in the protagonists’ exilic experiences? And how do they reflect a character’s state of exile? By investigating how Faqir and Matar represent trees in their narratives, this study shows that trees are key motifs that critically unveil the protagonist’s fears, hopes and anxieties
Najwa starts a physical journey from Amman stopping by several cities in order to find her father. She finds a safe haven in trees which provide her with a sensation of comfort and assurance
Summary
From the earliest stories and legends, trees have carried layers of cultural symbolism, religious imagery, world’s mythologies, individual histories and community memories. They played an important role in translating deep meanings about the human world through their metaphoric use in works of literature, art, folktales and oral traditions. An early example of such pieces of fiction is Tayeb Salih’s short story, “The Doum Tree of Wad Hamid” (1962), in which ‘the doum tree’ is central and stands for traditions Villagers in this story refuse colonial modernization and do not want to sacrifice this tree as it makes part of their culture and history. In Fadia Faqir’s Willow Trees Don’t Weep (2014) and Hisham Matar’s In the Country of Men (2006), trees are given strong voices to narrate different tales about exile
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