Analysis of Psychopathological Characters with Reference to Selected Novels of Said Ahmed Mohamed

Julius Tonui, Dr. James G. Mayaka & Prof. James O. Onyango
Laikipia University, Kenya
Corresponding Author: juliustonui10@gmail.com

Received September 30, 2019; Revised November 20, 2019; Accepted November 22, 2019

Abstract: This study analysed psychopathological characters from the selected novels authored by Said Ahmed Mohamed namely; Tata za Asumini (1990), Kiza katika Nuru (1988) Babu Alipofufuka (2001) and Dunia Yao (2006). Psychopathology encompasses all that which affects the mind, like anger, stress, depression and schizophrenia. The topic was chosen because psychopathological characters, as portrayed in the selected novel are true reflection of the mental state of members of public. The objectives of this study were; to determine the causation of psychopathology and to
discuss the effects of those psychopathological conditions. The theory that guided the study was psychoanalysis theory which was propounded by Sigmund Freud 1896. The framework of this theory includes; the inner conflicts, sub- consciousness, self hate and defensive mechanism. The theory was used to analyse the relevant texts in the four novels. The study was library based and descriptive method was used to present the data. Content analysis was used to expound on the selected texts. The sample and sampling procedures was purposive. The results of the study show that psychopathological condition was triggered by poverty, unemployment, lose of employment, and marital conflicts. The study revealed that psychopathology is directly related to homicide, drunkenness and hopelessness. In addition to that, psychopathological conditions manifest themselves in linguistic features like use self reference and negative words. The study could be useful in literary analysis of characters in literature and linguistic research in general.