Abstract
SERPENT AS THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE IN AHMET HAMDİ TANPINAR AND ALIFA RIFAAT
The serpent which has been seen in almost all cultures since the first ages was ascribed separate and controversial meanings from one another. It has appeared in mythology, legend, fairy-tale and holy scripture books with different meanings from one another. While the serpent, on the one hand, has represented the death, it has also symbolized immortality, youth, and the power of healing. Today, it is still being used as the symbol of the medical sciences such as medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmaceutics, etc. Along with the various branches of art such as painting, sculpture, architecture and miniature, it has had a significant role with its rich world of associations to depict human beings through literature, which uses the potentials of the languages. This study is an effort to discuss the story “The Owner of the House” by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, and the story “My World of the Unknown” by Alifa Rifaat by means of a comparative method. Not only will the common points and the similarities be determined but also the differences will be presented along with the reasons. In both stories, the events happen in warm climates which are suitable for the serpent to live such as Cairo and Mosul. People come across with the serpents quite often in such places, and they depict the emotions aroused by them. Also, the relationship between the serpents and women observed in a number of cultures around the world, and the belief that the serpent is the owner of the house are seen in both of the two stories. This condition is seen in “The Owner of the House”, where the story of protagonist’s mother is told within the inside story. The serpents that fall in love with the women in both stories begin to dominate the lives of these women. In the story “The Owner of the House”, this impact is not only limited to woman herself but also it spreads to the household as well. In the two stories compared, the serpents want the women to adhere to the agreements whose terms were unilaterally dictated by the serpents themselves. When the agreements are violated, the women are punished with death/the loss of the happy world. Geographical proximity and common believes explain the similarities. The life dynamics unique to each of the two communities result in the differences.
Keywords
Literature, story, Tanpınar, Alifa Rifaat, serpent, woman