Trees as Safe Havens in Faqir’s 'Willow Trees Don’t Weep' and Matar’s In the Country of Men

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the portrayal of trees in Fadia Faqir’s 'Willow Trees Don’t Weep' (2014) and Hisham Matar’s 'In the Country of Men' (2006) in order to demonstrate the way these authors employ trees to reflect the exilic experiences of their characters. It looks at the symbolic function that trees play and demonstrates the central position they occupy in the two texts. Although the issue of exile has been thoroughly considered in Arabic literature in diaspora, in this paper, it will be examined from a new perspective by focusing on the representation of trees in the texts and highlighting how Faqir’s Najwa and Matar’s Suleiman turn to trees for solace at moments of desperation and despondency while in exile.

Keywords

• exile
• trees
• symbolism
• faqir
• matar
• arabic literature in diaspora