The Presentation of Enmeshment in “The Symphony of the Dead”

This paper attempts at exploring the concept of enmeshment in Abbas Maroufi’s outstanding novel,“The Symphony of the Dead”. Defined and developed by Salvador Minuchin, a contemporary Argentinianpsychiatrist, enmeshment refers to the condition in which a family system has weak and poor boundaries amongthe family members. As a feature which is associated with the structural family therapy, enmeshment is definedas a dysfunctional characteristic which compromises and destroys the individualistic role of the family membersresulting in trauma, anxiety, and a sense of guilt. This concept is to be identified and analyzed in the relationshipbetween two brothers of Urkhanis, a traditional family living in the northern part of Iran in the aftermath of theSecond World War. Observing the relationships, encounters, actions and interactions and behaviors of Aydeenand Urhan in the course of the story reveals the unhealthy connections of emotions that exist between them whichtragically ends in the murder of one by the other.

کلیدواژه ها:

Enmeshment ، anxiety ، individuality ، boundaries ، Abbas Maroufi