The Analysis of the Relation between Understanding, Metaphor, Narration and Action in Ricoeur's Thought

When we encounter with literary texts, works of art and films which are full of the relations of metaphors, narratives and actions, this important question maybe asked that how is their relationship and how it could be related to our understanding? In the present article, we will discuss Ricoeur's ideas concerning this problem.. Our thesis is that understanding in Ricoeur's thought is metaphoric, narrative and actual in nature. The metaphoric character of understanding will be shown on the basis of the "as" structure and seeing similarities simultaneous with differences. In his idea narration and plot are, like metaphor, gathering the differences with similarities and regulating them as unity. Ricoeur believes that narrative innovation with its referral to reality could be the origin of action and indicate the relation of action to understanding. Thus metaphor, narrative and action are the intrinsic aspects of understanding which are closely and fundamentally related to each other. As, In the area of hermeneutics, he extends the concept of text and its understanding beyond just writing, analyzing this theme will inform us the importance of the way of encountering different kinds of texts.