An Analysis of Characterization in Six Short Stories by Hushang Golshiri

If developed and handled deftly by the writer, characterization, which is considered as one of the main components of a story, can be a point of strength which could attract the reader. With the rise of the modern novel, in which the writer focuses on the mental and psychological state of protagonists and antagonists, the element of character and the way it is handled received more attention than ever on the part of the writers. This tendency in Western literature is best exemplified in some works by Joyce, Woolf, Kafka and Faulkner. Following their acquaintance with this tendency in Western literature, Iranian writers, too, inclined toward psychological novels dependent upon the element of character. Among these writers is Hushang Golshiri who, despite the small number of his works, came to establish his personal style regarding a type of fiction which relies upon strong characterization and intends to display the psychological concerns of characters. This paper is an attempt to analyze characterization in six short stories by Golshiri.