Representation of Violence in Yemeni Novel: A Study of Fekriah Shahrah’s ‘The Smile Owner’

Abstract

This paper focuses on daily violence as the main theme in novel The Smile Owner which was written by Fekriah Shahrah. It depicts the hegemony of Houthi militia in Yemen. It is an analytical study which interprets the novelist’s literary work The Smile Owner. Moreover, as an instrument of data collection an interview with the novelist has been conducted to shed more light on the novel. This study is based on critical analysis of the literary text, which interprets the real context of violence in Yemen. Violence is a global issue between good and evil, and war and love. Shahrah as many of Yemeni novelists depicted the consequences of violence in their literary platform. The novel represents the situation of Yemen in the ongoing war in Yemen. Hence, the war in Yemen, death, abduction, retaliation and social fragmentation are the main themes of written and spoken Yemeni literature. This paper exposes the horrible implications of the coup led by Houthi Militia backed by Iran against the legal government backed by coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Emirates. Therefore, Fekriah Shahrah in the literary platform to portrayed violence in Yemeni society using the narrated text as a tool to convey the awful war consequences.