Psychoanalytic Character Analysis in the Translations of Guy de Maupassant's The Vagabond and Mikhail Naimy's The Dwarf: An Analysis based on Alfred Adler's Theory

Among the various approaches in comparative literature, there is an understanding of literature in relation to other humanities. Literature is comprehended not only within its cultural context but also in the context of its connections with other sciences. One notable example of this interdisciplinary approach is psychology, which later contributed to the emergence of psychoanalytic literary criticism. Both Albert de Maupassant and Mikhail Naimy lived during nearly the same period, and the key protagonists in their two stories of The Vagabond and The Dwarf correspondingly reflect similar conditions from a psychoanalytic perspective. These characters can be analyzed comparatively based on Alfred Adler's theory of personality. The five most relevant components of Adler's theory are feelings of inferiority, the inferiority complex, lifestyle, social interest, and life goals. A comparative analysis of the two main characters in these stories can provide deeper insights into the works, their characters, and the personalities of the authors themselves. This can be accomplished by conducting a content analysis within the framework of Adler's theory, following the principles of the American school. It is established that both characters evolved in the conflicting settings of the unstable societies created by their respective authors. The inferiority complex manifests in The Vagabond through both over-attachment and a lack of attachment, while it emerges in "The Dwarf" as a result of physical challenges and a detached social perspective. 
Introduction:
Comparative literature does not merely compare national literatures; it integrates them with other disciplines within the humanities. One such discipline is psychology; this association has resulted in what is popularly known as "literary psychological critique" or "psychoanalytical critique". The most significant psychological theory relevant to this paper, however, will be Alfred Adler's personality theory, known as Adlerian individual psychology. The theory emphasizes the social dimension of human living. To this, Adler had his approach called "individual psychology"; he believed, as well, in an approach that claimed, every individual is a study of one. Individual character, for Adler, is therefore molded by the influence of one's peculiar social environment and individual experiences or interactions. The two main characters in The Vagabond, a short story by Guy de Maupassant, and The Dwarf, a short story by Mikhail Naimy, have almost common characteristics and can be evaluated and analyzed based on Adlerian concept of individual psychology. Most importantly, Guy de Maupassant and Mikhail Naimy lived during nearly the same period. This study, in a comparative context, asserts to add to the readers' understanding of the two writers' fictional works through comparative analysis of their stories within the framework of psychological critique. It would also serve as a bridge between the two countries through psycholinguistics and literature.
A comparative psychological study of their principal characters in the light of psychological critique may bring forth the characters as espoused by both the writers and also, in some measure, discover the unknown facets of their personalities. The very significance and necessity of this would arise from the convergence of comparative literature with psychological analysis in their writing to feature their characters. Thus, this present study is necessarily a very relevant one in understanding national literature and further joining that convergence. Such issues have been very largely overlooked by the existing psychoanalytical critique of Adler's personality theory relating to The Vagabond and The Dwarf. Therefore, this research is poised towards answering the following questions:
What points of similarity and difference exist between Maupassant's The Vagabond and Naimy's The Dwarf characters based on Adler's theory?
What is the ultimate goal of Maupassant and Mikhail Naimy in writing The Vagabond and The Dwarf?
What types of inferiority complexes possess the protagonists of The Vagabond and The Dwarf?
Method:
This study is descriptive-analytical research classified under comparative literature American school, which studies similarities and differences. First, the fundamental psychoanalytical concepts of Adler are expounded, and then two short stories, The Vagabond and The Dwarf, are summarized, listing their primary similarities and differences, and a few examples from the texts of both stories are provided for comparison and psychoanalytical reading based on the theory of Adler. The general theory or framework of Adler personalities examined here would thus very simply state that: Man is raised in and influenced by his social environment; he is born with feelings of inferiority which will govern his acts towards success or failure and frustration. For Adler, success means contributing to the welfare of society and success for all humanity, while failure and frustration are defined as private successes at the expense of others, as elaborated in Adler's theories of personality. The inferiority complex, as understood by Adler under a threefold essence, emanates from the physical inferiority or imperfection, too much attention given, and finally, from the absence of such attention. If you properly compensate for these defects, they become the basis for human achievement and elevation of humanity; otherwise, nothing is done to overcome these thus leading to an inferiority complex, experiences among neurotic individuals. Among them, neurosis, psychotic behaviors, and what Adler termed the protective tendencies are often the most destructive consequences of the inferiority complex. His view enumerated the major protective tendencies such as excuse-making, aggression, withdrawal.
Results and Discussion:
Results from this study indicate that the characters from the stories The Vagabond and The Dwarf are victims of inferiority, which is the most contributing factor resulting from behavior in society and mistakes committed. The Vagabond happens to be 'A Child from Family' that draws attention to an individual and leaves him out completely from society and results to imprison him nearly for twenty years. The Dwarf claims that such inferiority pretty much stems from physical defects and odd appearance, one of which, incidentally, died due to his long suffering inasmuch as he could not tolerate the loss of limb that mustard gas inflicted upon him. The hero committed suicide, which supports the theory of Adler that showed three amongst many other cause factors of inferiority complexes: neglect, too much attention and physical defect. By his own existence-in Randall's case by not just the absence of valid compensating mechanisms (fantasy) but, also neglect by society-actually reinforces the inferiority complex. Weightlessness into a no-return point into the depths seems to choosing penitentiary living over that of being among the other people as he appears to opt for. However, The Dwarf goes through stages of inferiority that sprout solely from being a dwarf, plus bad looks, but from another experience is aggravated when he acquires his mustard gas injuries in war.
Conclusion:
It involves a compensatory mechanism related to the development of an inferiority complex due to mustard gas poisoning. One of the compensatory mechanisms is the act of ignoring or being indifferent to one's defects. Consequently, he withdrew into suicidal actions, as the reality of death in his case left no possibility of recanting the horror that death can inspire in a person. The superiority complex is an Adlerian plot structure common to both stories. Adler believed that the social goal of those who are mentally unwell is rooted in a sense of personal superiority. However, for those who are mentally fit, the pursuit of personal interests must be sacrificed in favor of the higher ideals of humanity. Therefore, The Vagabond creates the condition that Randall aspires to human greatness; however, he ultimately remains a two-dimensional character focused solely on personal achievement. In contrast, success for humanity as a whole. Thus, this dwarf embodies a more universal and psychologically healthier character. It is possible to draw comparative conclusions about the personalities of the two major characters in The Vagabond and The Dwarf through the lens of Adler's theory. It is evident that Jacques Randall and the dwarf are both protagonists shaped by the societal environment in which they exist. Against the backdrop of the chaos inherent in their society, they learned to navigate instability, particularly in the case of Jacques Randall in The Vagabond. These characters symbolize the turmoil in their respective countries: France for Jacques Randall and Lebanon for the dwarf, during this period in history.