Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
2 Graduated from the Master's degree program in Persian Language and Literature, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
A profound connection has long existed between literature and philosophy. On one hand, philosophical ideas have found various forms of expression in literary texts; on the other, many distinguished philosophers have aspired to create literary works. Among diverse philosophical concepts, evil has particularly attracted the attention of literary creators, especially novelists. As Georges Bataille argues, the reflection of various forms of evil in fiction can serve as one of the essential means to overcome narrative monotony. In this regard, Hossein Ghassemi, a young Iranian novelist with an academic background in philosophy, has demonstrated a distinctive engagement with philosophical themes—most notably, the concept of evil. In his novel The Fence of Mice, this concept is explored at a fundamental level. Using an analytical–descriptive approach grounded in a philosophical reading of the text, this study examines the different manifestations of evil within the narrative. The findings reveal that although moral evil appears in the individual actions of certain characters, the narrative’s central axis is structural evil—depicted both in the degrading treatment of migrants by Greek officers and in the migrants’ violent retaliation against them. Moreover, chaotic evil and ritual evil emerge from these same corrupt structures and are reproduced through violent rites and pseudo-sacred practices. In addition, Ghassemi’s treatment of the banality of evil, the contagion of evil, and passive evil suggests that the production, proliferation, and persistence of evil do not necessarily arise from deliberate intent but may result from inertia, habit, and blind obedience.
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