Transforming through Dialogue in Bernard Malamud's The Assistant
Keywords:
Dialogue, Face, Interpersonal, Medium, Other, Relationship, Self, TransformationAbstract
This paper investigates the importance and relevance of
dialogue in interpersonal relationship and argues that the
authentic interpersonal relationship is essentially dialogic and
transforming. The importance and the transforming effects of
dialogue are explored through an analysis of Bernard Malamud's
novel The Assistant. An attempt is made to understand the
relationship between philosophy and literature while at the same
time an interrogation is made to analyse the role of dialogue in
philosophy and literature. For this it makes use of the Philosophy
of Dialogue proposed by Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas.
The analysis shows that dialogue acts as a medium through
which human beings interact and it has the potential to transform
people. The results of this study clearly emphasize the possibility
of using dialogue as a tool for transformation in day to day life.
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