The Oppressed Character in the Novel "An Eye on the Road" by the Novelist Honar Karim

Abstract

This study, titled “The Oppressed Character in the Novel *An Eye on the Road* by Honor Karim,” examines oppression as experienced by people in the region in general and in Iraq in particular, where people in this part of the world suffer from suppression, oppression, and persecution in various forms—both on a personal and collective level. They live in constant conflict with an atmosphere of oppression and attempt to adapt to it—a problem that reformers and thinkers have long sought to address and find solutions for. The oppressed character in this study is characterized by two dimensions: (religious and political oppression, and psychological oppression), to which the individual is subjected, whether by groups, individuals, or the society in which the oppressed individual lives. Given the nature of the problem of oppression, particularly as it pertains to a specific group—the Yazidis— I chose to merge the religious and political dimensions because they have become intertwined due to the current situation faced by the Yazidis, as they are Kurds—an ethnic group present in the region—who speak Kurdish and adhere to a religion unique to them, namely the Yazidi faith.

The novel *An Eye on the Road* by the author Honer Karim sheds light on many instances of oppression and attempts to embody and depict this situation, as various forms of oppression have been documented on the ground, and the Iraqi people live within this atmosphere and endure it, particularly the suffering of the Yazidis who fled the brutality of ISIS as the organization invaded their regions, cities, and villages, and the Yazidis fled to the mountains and to neighboring cities and villages.