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Article The Representation of Magical Doors in Mohsin Hamid's exit West(Forum Literary Voice, 2024) Aras, GoksenMohsin Hamid presents migration as one of the most debatable global themes in his Exit West (2017). The author fictionalises not only migrants' crises of dislocation in the contemporary world but also their escape to safety through magical means in his novel. Exit West mainly depicts the existential struggles and anxieties of the two migrants, Nadia and Saeed, and their toilsome experiences in their journey to the West after they leave their homeland. The two protagonists of the novel trespass physical borders and walls, like heavily guarded frontiers or oceans through magical doors to create themselves a safe space. It is clear from the very beginning of the novel that Nadia and Saeed try hard to survive in an unnamed South Asian country, which is fraught with political chaos, violence and bloodshed. Having been guided by a number of bribed dark agents, the couple flee their country by passing through some magical doors, towards a future marked by uncertainty and unpredictability. Their first Western destination is the Greek island of Mykonos where they settle in a refugee camp, their second destination is London, and the final stop is Marin, San Francisco. The objective of this paper is to explore the actual and symbolic function of magical doors as the main characters journey to the West to start a free and secure life.Conference Object Article Otherness and Displacement in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys(Literary Voice, 2023) Aras, Goksen; Takva, SerdarEnglish hegemonic colonial rule of the other parts of the world was based on unequal power relations and the domination of people from different cultures and ancestral backgrounds. Like the other colonized territories, the Caribbean was one of the countries whose social, political and cultural structure was dominated by England. During its rule in the Caribbean, Britain enslaved black people and forced them to work in the sugar cane plantations thus, created hostility between the Creoles and the black. More importantly, the colonizer othered the indigenous dwellers and the colonized people felt secure neither in their homelands nor in the colonizer's country which led to displacement. After the proclamation of independence, postcolonial writers from the former colonies tackle post-independence problems inherited by colonization in their work. Jean Rhys also handles controversial postcolonial concepts in her work. Her novel titled Wide Sargasso Sea is a notable narrative of the turbulent Caribbean life after the Emancipation. This paper in this sense explores Wide Sargasso Sea in terms of its representation of otherness and displacement in the context of postcolonial studies.Other Etches of Life(Forum Literary Voice, 2024) Aras, GoksenArticle The American Dream: Cultural and Social Downfall in John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men(Literary Voice, 2022) Aras, Goksen; Takva, SerdarAs known, throughout history, most societies have experienced hard times that have made life difficult to bear. Among these hard times are political, social and economic conditions which shape the ways human beings perceive the world and lead their lives. The Great Depression, that ravaged American society in the 1929s, is one of the most catastrophic economic events in the history of America and it is considered to be a calamity resulting in unemployed, desperate and even homeless people. John Steinbeck, being one of the foremost representatives of American writers, handles the devastating effects of the Great Depression and how it affected numerous people from different parts of the community. In this period, from women to the black, from the old to the disabled. most people wanted to lead a life based on humanly standards but what they expected turned into a frustration paving the way for the impossibility of the American dream and thus cultural and social downfall of such people no matter how hard they try to achieve their goals. Steinbeck's novel titled Of Mice and Men in this context is a touching representation of frustration, hopelessness, despair to have a place to live in, and a portrayal of unattainable happiness and the impossible American dream. This paper explores the futile efforts to realize the American dream and thus unhappiness and failure from Steinbeck's point of view and it presents the reflections of such a concept through the fictionalized characters in the novel.
