A Comparative Analysis of the Novels Bamdad-e Khomar and The Last Train to Istanbul

Abstract

The novels Bamdad-e Khomar, written by Fattaneh Haj Seyed Javadi, and The Last Train to Istanbul, authored by Ayşe Kulin, a Turkish writer, are both structured around the experiences of love, marriage, and female agency within the context of tradition and modernity; nevertheless, they are systematized within two distinct cultural, social, and historical settings. Adopting a descriptive–analytical approach, the present study seeks to conduct a comparative analysis of the narrative strategies, characterization, conflicts, and thematic concerns of the two novels. The findings indicate that although in both novels a woman occupies the position of the protagonist, and despite the fact that in each narrative an unconventional marriage serves as the starting point for the formation of character-related issues, events, and narrative progression, the principal conflict that underpins the thematic structure of each novel differs fundamentally. In Bamdad-e Khomar, the central conflict is limited in scope and class-based, rooted in the protagonist’s adolescent emotions and shaped by the dynamics of an aristocratic and hereditary social order. In contrast, the conflict in The Last Train to Istanbul extends beyond the family sphere and is organized around the protagonist’s confrontation with a broader ideological and belief system. In other words, Bamdad-e Khomar depicts a localized crisis and conflict among the individual, social class, and family, whereas The Last Train to Istanbul situates the individual within a social, political, and historical crisis and confrontation. Moreover, the narrative axis in Bamdad-e Khomar centers on the experience of a failure endured by the protagonist, while in The Last Train to Istanbul the narrative focus lies on the realization of a major decision by the protagonist and her passage through the obstacles and dangers that constitute the consequences of that decision.