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The Opposition of Truth and Falsehood in the Novel “The Armenian Gate” by Wilfried Eggers

2023; Science Publishing Group; Linguagem: Inglês

10.11648/j.ijsts.20231104.11

2330-7412

Sirvard Stepanyan,

The present study seeks to explore the polemical features of the struggle against the denial of the Armenian Genocide in the detective novel "The Armenian Gate" by Wilfrid Eggers. The focus of the research is the first part of the novel, which with its content and form, plot lines, and gradual character development can be interpreted as a short story within the genre of the epic form. The main situation that reveals the nature of the character, is created by the intersection of two conceptual templates of the political discourse "Turks and Armenians - a complicated relationship", and the dichotomy of truth-justice and falsehood-distortion. Accordingly, the study of the polemical preconditions of the research material, the bipolar opposition between truth and falsehood was suggested. The author exposes the official political path of impunity and concealment of the past. W. Eggers brings to the forefront of literature the discussions and debates organized by Turkish communities in various countries regarding the fact of the Armenian Genocide and tries to capture their essence, the spread of the ideology of distortion and rejection of the fact of the Genocide. The author's concern about the Turkish policy extends beyond the massacre of Armenians. He sees in this policy the massacres of Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Zazas, Assyrians implemented by the Turks. In this sense, the novel is also humanistic. In the novel, the character of Turk Ali Soylemyozoghlu acts as the commissioner. He believes that the advertised discussion is a dialogue for peace. On the other side of the conflict, memory associations are not accepted as a tendency to preserve one's own past, but rather an obligation to learn and reflect upon it. The character is pushed to renounce religious and educational dogmas and to abandon illusions. This is considered the main polemical prerequisite, which creates the possibility for character expansion and acquisition of new typical traits. In this sense, Anahit Petrosyan's individual struggle evolves into an idea that unites all Armenians.