Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Ali Mohammadi ¹
• tahere farzane ²

¹ Faculty member, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan

² PhD student

Abstract

Urbanization and civilization, with their multifaceted transformations, have continuously posed new challenges to humanity—challenges that simultaneously highlight individuality and freedom while intensifying anxiety and a sense of identity loss. Erich Fromm, a prominent humanistic psychoanalyst, explores how individuals confront freedom, cope with the anxiety of isolation, and fulfill essential needs that underlie these responses. This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach based on library research to reexamine The House of the Edrisis, a novel by Ghazaleh Alizadeh. Drawing on Fromm’s theory of Escape from Freedom, it investigates how the novel’s characters react to freedom and manage their experiences of loneliness. Findings suggest that most characters mitigate their fear of freedom by seeking refuge in the past and collective security. Some evade freedom through submission, while others do so through exerting control. A marked contrast emerges between rural and urban characters: the passionate, revolutionary spirit of the foundry workers, representing rural life, reflects attentiveness to their fundamental needs, whereas city dwellers, neglecting such needs, are depicted as passive and isolated. Additionally, elements of Romanticism are evident, revealing the author’s inclination toward a return to the simplicity and naturalness of rural life.neglecting such needs, are depicted as passive and isolated. Additionally, elements of Romanticism are evident, revealing the author’s inclination toward a return to the simplicity and naturalness of rural life.

Keywords

• The House of the Edrisis
• Ghazaleh Alizadeh
• Romanticism
• Escape from Freedom
• Desire for Return

Main Subjects

• Persian Language and Literature