A comparative study of the novels: “Chicago” of Alaa al Aswani and “Neighbours” of Ahmad Mahmoud

The novel Chicago (2007) is one of the most powerful and influential novels of the contemporary literary world. Alaa al Aswani (b.1957), a famous Egyptian novelist, has critiqued the American Egyptian life. The criticism resolves around the behaviour of a young Egyptian in America. The author has deftly dealt with the identity crisis in the novel; Issues such as sexual discrimination, friendship and hatred, opportunism are discussed in the literary work. Several cultural outlooks on life and society have also been treated in it. Ahmad Mahmoud (1310-1381) is an Iranian writer of the Southern School and his no “Neighbours” is synchronized with the Coup edat of 1328 and written in the first half of the 20th Century. It addresses the reader in a monotonous manner with respect to the difficulties, imperialism, and exploitation of the countries and people of the third world. Both the novels are identical in structure, plot and narrative. Symbolism is visible in both of them. The novels have powerful descriptions of time and place, characters and narratives, elements and contents of the story and the novel “Chicago” has edges on the other novel in several respects. Aswani looks at oppression and discrimination from the position of an enlightened society and considers their prevalence due to the inefficiencies of the ruling class in a part of society as well outside its frontiers.But Ahmad i Mahmud looks critically at the ruling power over people and he finds poverty as the root cause of the malaise.