Kimlik eleştirisi: Forster’ın Howards End romanında kadın ve erkek karakterlerin kendilerini doğrulama süreçleri

Year 2021, , 1286 - 1302, 30.09.2021

Dilek Tüfekci Can

https://doi.org/10.48070/erciyesakademi.978348

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı E. M. Forster tarafından kaleme alınan Howards End (1910) adlı romandaki kadın ve erkek karakterlerin toplumsal cinsiyet kimliklerini kimlik eleştirisi bağlamında ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bir roman yazarı olarak okurlarının ne istediği ile ilgili güçlü bir sezgiye sahip olan Forster, bu romanında insan ilişkilerini gözlemler ve insan yaşamının tüm yönlerini gerçekçi bir biçimde tasvir eder. Forster, romanındaki karakterleri zayıf ve güçlü yönleriyle Edward döneminin gerçek hayatın temsilcileri olarak okurlarına sunar. Bu nedenle bu çalışma karakterin toplumsal kimliklerini kimlik eleştirisi bağlamında çözümlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca, bu makale toplumsal cinsiyet rollerinin giderek bulanıklaştığı Edward döneminde hem kadın hem de erkek karakterlerin kendi kimliklerini nasıl doğrulamaya çalıştıklarını kimlik eleştirisi bağlamında çözümlemeye çalışmaktadır. Dolayısıyla, bu çalışmada karakterlerin kendi kimliklerini doğrulama süreçleri “girdi”, “kimlik standardı”, “karşılaştırıcı” ve “çıktı” gibi unsurlara odaklanarak incelenmektedir. Çalışmanın sonucunda hem kadın hem de erkek karakterlerin, kimliklerinin doğrulandığı bağlamlarda sosyal ilişkilerini sürdürme arayışında oldukları saptanmıştır. Çalışmada, karakterlerin kimliklerini onaylayan diğer kişilerle etkileşime girmeyi tercih ettikleri ve onaylamayanlardan kaçındıkları sonucuna da varılmıştır. Ayrıca kimlik standardını en çok etkileyen unsurların başında, toplumla doğrudan ilgili olan “karşılaştırıcı” ve “hata sinyali” unsurları olduğu bulunmuştur.

Keywords

Forster, Howards End, Kimlik, Kimlik Eleştirisi, Kendini doğrulama

Identity criticism: Self-verification processes of fe(male) characters in Howards End by Forster

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to unearth gender identities of both female and male characters in the novel entitled Howards End (1910) by E. M. Forster through the lenses of identity criticism. As an author, having an intuitive sense of what his readers wanted as an author, Forster observes the relationships of the people and describes all aspects of human life genuinely in this novel. Forster narrates his characters as the representatives of real life in the Edwardian period to his readers with their own weaknesses and strengths. Thus, this paper attempts to analyse gender identities of the characters through identity criticism. Additionally, this paper also attempts to uncover how both female and male characters verify their own gender identities in the Edwardian period where gender roles are gradually blurring. Accordingly, this paper examines the self-verification processes of the characters through the lenses of identity criticism with a focus on “input”, “identity standard”, “comparator” and “output”. This study concludes that both female and male characters search for maintaining their social relationships in contexts where their identities are verified. Also, it is concluded that the characters prefer to interact with the others who approve of their identities and avoid those who do not. It is also found that what affects identity standards most is the “comparator” and “error signal”, both of which are directly dealt with the society itself.

Keywords

Forster, Howards End, Identity, Identity Criticism, Self-verification

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