An Analysis of Implicatures in “My Little Prayer Room” Based on Sperber and Wilson’s Theory

Abstract

This study analyzes implicatures in Houshang Golshiri’s short story My Small Prayer Room within the framework of Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory. Using a descriptive-analytical method and library-based research, it investigates how implicit meanings emerge through the interaction of context, cognitive environment, and inferential processes. The analysis is based on the core concepts of Relevance Theory, including the Principle of Relevance, explicature, implicature, inference, and context.

The findings show that readers construct implicit meanings by selecting relevant contextual assumptions, enriching explicatures, resolving ambiguities, assigning referents, and continuously revising interpretations. Changes in the narrator’s cognitive environment guide readers toward a deeper understanding of the characters, events, and underlying themes. The study further demonstrates that the extra finger functions as a symbolic representation of difference, personal identity, social exclusion, and eventual self-acceptance rather than as a mere physical trait. Consequently, the story conveys a broader critique of stereotypical ideals of human perfection while emphasizing the recognition and acceptance of individual differences. The findings confirm that Relevance Theory offers an effective pragmatic framework for explaining implicit meaning and interpretive processes in contemporary Persian literary texts. The narrator of the story has a lump of flesh next to his little toe, which, although not easily visible to others, he considers to be a defect. This characteristic causes him to feel distant and alienated from others and he always tries to hide it from the eyes of those around him. Over time, this feeling leads him to unwanted isolation; an isolation that provides the basis for his reflection and gradual confrontation with himself. The narrative of the story follows the mental and emotional development of the main character in the face of this experience, providing a suitable platform for examining the implicit layers of meaning based on Sperber and Wilson's communication theory.