Bushra Juhi Jani
College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq. Orcid: 0000-0002-8981-7003. Email: bushrajani@nahrainuniv.edu.iq
[Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions]
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 2, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n2.29
Full-Text PDF Issue Access
Abstract
This essay examines the theme of terroristic torture and its effects on both the victim and the torturer in Orwell’s 1984 and Abdul-Sattar Nasir’s Eggplant Peels. Through an analysis of the two novels, the essay distinguishes between terroristic and interrogational torture and explains how the former is often used to achieve an end at the expense of the victim’s well-being, and how the torturer is also impacted by their acts of cruelty. The victim of torture may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. On the other hand, the torturer may experience feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse, as well as psychological trauma and other negative consequences of their actions. The impact of Orwell on Nasir is discerned in the similarities in characterization between the two novels. The characters of O’Brien in 1984 and Dohan in the Iraqi novel are studied as government officials responsible for the terroristic torture of the protagonists of these novels. The essay concludes by highlighting the psychological impact of torture on both the victim and the perpetrator and emphasizing the moral implications of causing pain to others.
Keywords: Terroristic torture, torturers, 1984, Abdul-Sattar Nasir, Saddam’s regime.
