Characterization in Ghassan Kanafani s Return to Haifa

Ghassasn Kanfani, a Palestinian committed contemporary fiction writer, in one of his most famous works Returns to Haifa argues armed struggle, resistance and sustainability are the sole path to free Palestine. Exploring the elements of characterization in this novel to highlight Kanfani’s art of writing is of great significance. This paper aims at investigating the character types and the various methods used in characterization by the author. Accordingly, characters are analyzed in terms major and minor, static and dynamic, positive and negative, direct and indirect (action and speech) characterization. The findings show the author’s intention is in creating heroic characters who are often static and symbolic; representative of the oppressed Palestinians who are displaced by force from their home. Through unconventional means, the novel presents Mariam a Jewish woman as fair and positive character than an enemy or a negative person. The novel shows how one’s patriarchy outweighs the love towards one’s parents; Khaldun, a Palestinian who has joined the Israeli army, turns against them.