A Close Look at Abbas Maroufi’s Symphony of the Dead Based on Louis Althusser’s Theory of Ideology

Availability of different theories and literary schools makes it possible to study literary works from various view angels and based on different viewpoints. Studying the male character of Abbas Maroufi’s roman Symphony of the Dead, based on Louis Althusser’s Theory of Ideology, can provide us a new reading of it. Based on Althusser’s aforementioned theory, the present article studies the matter of power and the way it is manifested, in Symphony of the Dead. In Iranian society, the most important base for manifestation of power is family, and patriarchy is its most tangible and clear example. In this study, we argue that Symphony of the Dead is a narration about power, started from the ancient times, continuously comes to the modern period. Our questions in this research are as follows: From the viewpoint of Althusser, what kind of influences theories have on the lives of people? What is the role of obeying the dominant ideologies, in reproduction of the society? And finally, what kind of confrontation do Abbas Maroufi’s have with patriarchy? In this research, as the first step, we provide a summary of the story, then we review Althusser’s Theory of Ideology, and finally study the story from an ideological viewpoint