Exploring Animality Concept in Simin Daneshvar’s Suvashoun

Animal is viewed in traditional literature as a tool and symbol that shows the human attitude. In the new perspective, however, especially in Deleuze's view, the animal is no longer a tool in hands of humans but humans must submit themselves to the animal and get close to animality. Considering the new concept, this study used the ideas of such thinkers as Deleuze and other related postmodernist thinkers to examine the characters and features of Suvashoun novel from the perspective of animality. The main themes that this study discussed are animality, childhood, madness, humanity. Regarding animality, we see Suvashoun a dialectic, where antithesis appears in Yusuf's humanity. Madness and prison are means used for liberating man from his subjectivity in prison. That is why Zari takes her vow to the madhouse and distributes it among the prisoners. Desire and body, childhood and femininity, Kelo’s personality and MakMahon's poetry, and Dr. Abdollah Khan's mysticism leaves no room for human humanity of Yusuf. He should be the contemporary Siavash, whose head is innocently cut off in the bowl of his mythical innocence. Such a Suvashoun not only ensures the liberty of his soul but accomplishes the animality of Zari.