A Psychological Analysis of the Duality of Life and Death in the Literature of Tayeb Salih (A Reading of Eros and Thanatos in Season of Migration to the North)

Abstract

This study examines the binary conflict between Eros and Thanatos in Tayeb Salih's novel, Season of Migration to the North. Eros, however, represents the necessary energy resulting from the proper satisfaction of instincts, whereas Thanatos arises from their neglect, leading to self-destruction. The research employs psychoanalytic criticism to analyze the novel's issues, based on the premise of human instincts, which Freud considered as the foundation of balance or imbalance that manifested in the literary work through the conflict between Eros and Thanatos.

The theoretical framework is based on Freudian psychoanalysis, specifically the concepts of Eros (the life drive) and Thanatos (the death drive) as primary engines of psychic energy and human behavior. The study hypothesizes that the conflict between these two forces can explain the existential contradictions within the novel. Through this framework, the analysis investigates how these drives manifest in the novel's characters and events.

The findings reveal that narrative and plot elements, while being influenced by the feminine (Eros), simultaneously advance into a space of ambiguity, absurdity, and meaninglessness (Thanatos). This indicates that the novel embodies a complex conflict between the forces of life and creativity on one hand, and death and destruction on the other hand, which is reflected in the text's structure and trajectory.