The Turn in the Concept of Return in Boaz Gaon's 'Ha-Shiva Le-Haifa', and Susan Abulhawa's Mornings in Jenin as an Adaptation of Kanafani's Returning to Haifa
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Date
2025-02-28
Authors
Takreem Mohammad Abdallah
Journal Title
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Publisher
Al Najah National University
Abstract
This thesis compares Kanafani’s novella Returning to Haifa (1969) with its Israeli adaptation; Gaon's Ha-Shiva Le-Haifa (2014) as well as Abulhawa's adaptation Mornings in Jenin (2006). Drawing on Hutcheon's adaptation and Lacan's Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real, this thesis explores the turn in the concept of return for the uprooted Said, Safiyya, Amal, and other minor characters. These fictional characters, the researcher argues, transcend the (unconscious) imaginary concept of return, and emerge to the (conscious) real return through their homecoming. That is, they shift psychologically from dreaming of reclaiming the stolen land of Palestine to ultimately understanding what it takes to achieve a perceptible one. This thesis argues that a refugee’s homecoming after years of displacement is a moment of transcendence and emotional connection to the land. Therefore, the researcher demonstrates the significance of homecoming concerning the fictional character’s trauma and memory of pre-occupied Palestine. Moreover, this thesis examines Kanafani and Abulhawa’s narratives, which strive to document the Palestinian cause and struggle under the Israeli occupation—something Gaon's Israeli narrative seems to overlook or suppress. Finally, this thesis shows that Gaon’s adaptation perhaps undermines and replaces the Palestinian return. However, Abulhawa’s novel realistically stimulates the Palestinian authentic history and the desire to return. Hence, Kanafani’s Returning to Haifa tackles the question and the consequence of return.