The Representation of the Hope/Despair Duality in the Novel Her Eyes based on Gabriel Marcel’s Thoughts

This paper seeks to represent and analyze the hope/despair dichotomy in the novel Her Eyes by the French philosopher's ideas, Gabriel Honoré Marcel. For this purpose, first, Marcel's theoretical foundations and views are pointed out. The representation of the hope/despair dichotomy in the novel is addressed via a descriptive-analytical research method. In his most crucial philosophical achievement, i.e., “the hope”, studies the ontology of this concept, making some divisions. He examines phenomena such as apprehension, fear, and anxiety with an existentialist view of man, associated with despair. In Marcel's view, hope is born from the bed of suffering, and it is in the presence of despair that hope is possible. So hope and despair are in confrontation and dialectic with each other. The research findings show that hope and despair in the novel Her Eyes are always in conflict, and the existing suffering and despair eventually turn to hope. Despite the novel's desperate atmosphere, the motif “hope” is represented as the dominant element, with themes such as love, protest and transformation.