Critical Discourse in ‘The Children of Carpet-Weaving House’ by Houshang Moradi Kermani; Based on Norman Fairclough’s Theory

Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Theory is considered as one of the key theories regarding literary texts, especially in fiction literature and it plays an important role in identifying social and cultural changes of the society. Fairclough is one of the scholars who studied literary works with an approach to criticize capitalism in society in terms of critical discourse with a view on relations between power and ideology and intended to study this matter in three stages of: description, interpretation and clarification.  This study has investigated the story of ‘The Children of Carpet-Weaving House’ by Houshang Moradi Kermani based on Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Theory with a descriptive-analytical methodology. Moradi Kermani has narrated awful condition of exploited working children and the hegemony of suppressers over the suppressed based on relations between power and ideology. To do so, he has recounted his ideology in a symbolic background through repeating characters’ names, using specific vocabulary, meaning coverage of words, combining native, informal and literary language as well as language of satire in the stage of description. The stage of interpretation is done via various spectrums of discourses by creating assumptions in similar situations and inter-textual and situational satire. At the stage of clarification, the most prominent issue is the issue of child abuse and ignoring children’s rights. Moreover, emotional crisis, interaction of poverty and capitalism, hope and hopelessness, battle and surrender, religion and atheism, has put the story in a bitter and sorrowful atmosphere.