The Dysfunctional Mother-Daughter Relationship in Rabih Alameddine’s I, the Divine

Abstract

The study grapples with the dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship in Rabih Alameddine’s I, the Divine (2002). It, equally, shows how the different cultural backgrounds and differences between the Lebanese father and the American mother affect the daughter’s personality development. It deals with other associated themes as rape scene and the Lebanese Civil War that influence the mother-daughter relationship. In other words, the study delves into Sarah’s life cycle and inner worlds to show how feelings of betrayal, abandonment and low self-esteem are the main symptoms of her shattered self. The study reveals how Sarah reconstructs herself during adulthood via different mediums. To shed light on the unnatural mother-daughter dyads, the study employs various psychoanalytic studies including Erik Erikson’s theories on child’s development.

Keywords: Rabih Alameddine, I, the Divine, Mother-Daughter Dyads, Psychology and Identity Formation.