Emma Donoghue’nün 'Oda' Adlı Eserinde Bedensel ve Mekansal Bağlantılar

Year 2024, Volume: 41 Issue: 1, 231 - 244, 28.06.2024

Elif Demir

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1330237

Abstract

2010 yılında yayımlanan Emma Donoghue’nün ünlü romanı Oda, bir kadın ve oğlunun birkaç yıl boyunca kısıtlı bir mekanda esaret altında yaşadıkları hayatı konu alır. Eserde hapsedildikleri oda, Ma ve Jack’in Old Nick’in disiplin gücüne maruz kaldığı şifreli bir alan işlevi görür. Hiçbir fırsat sunmayan kısıtlayıcı alan ve o alanda Old Nick’in baskıcı düzenlemelerine göre yaşamak eserde verilen karakterlerin deneyimlerini Foucault’nun bakış açısından analiz etmeyi mümkün kılar. Bu bağlamda, Foucault’un stratejilerinin uygulanması, karakterlerin özerkliklerini yitirmesine ve benliklerinin zarar görmesine yol açar. Kısıtlayıcı heterotopya ve disiplin edici bakış, onları hakimiyet altına alarak uysal bedenlere dönüştürür. Özgür kaldıktan sonra bile mekansal sınırlamanın izleri psikolojik olarak onları takip eder, çünkü farklı mekanlara geçiş, kimlik algılarını ve öz bütünlüklerini daha da zorlar. Jack’in dış dünyaya uyum sorunu yaşaması özel ve kamusal alan karşıtlığını ortaya koyar. Bu açıdan oda bedenlerine kalıcı bir etki bırakır ve onları damgalayarak yeni hayatlarında ele alınması gereken bir travma kaynağı haline getirir. Bu noktada odanın mekansal kodları ile bedenleri arasındaki etkileşim karmaşıktır, çünkü her biri diğerini temsil eder ve dönüştürür. Dolayısıyla, bu çalışma travma mağduru bireylerin iyileşme sürecine adım açmak için yaşadıkları zorlayıcı şartların boyutlarını ortaya koyarak ve irdeleyerek travmatik sonuçlara yol açan bedensel ve mekansal etkileşimler arasındaki karmaşık dinamikleri Foucault’nun düşünceleri merceğinden incelemektedir.

Keywords

Uysal beden, mekan, kamusal alan, özel alan, Emma Donoghue, Oda

Corporeal and Spatial Engagements in Emma Donoghue’s 'Room'

Abstract

Garnered critical acclaim after its publication in 2010, Emma Donoghue’s renowned novel Room delves into the lives of a woman and her son who are held captive in a confined space for several years. The room where they are imprisoned functions as a coded space in which Ma and Jack are subjected to the disciplinary power of Old Nick. The restrictive space that offers no opportunities and living there according to Old Nick’s oppressive regulations lay the basis for analysing the characters’ experiences in the work using Foucault’s viewpoints. In this respect, the exercise of Foucauldian strategies by Old Nick causes them to lose their autonomy and to damage their self. The restrictive heterotopia and the disciplinary gaze turn them into docile bodies that become mere platforms to be dominated. Even after their breaking free, the traces of the spatial limitation follow them psychologically because transitioning to different spaces further challenges their sense of identity and self-integrity. Jack struggles to adapt to the outside world, which showcases the antinomy of the private and public. In this respect, the room leaves a lasting impact on their bodies, stigmatizing them and becoming a source of trauma that needs to be addressed for their new life. The interplay between the spatial codes of the room and their bodies is complex, with each representing and transforming the other. Therefore, this study examines the complex dynamics between physical and spatial interactions that lead to traumatic consequences through the lens of Foucault’s thoughts, by revealing and examining the dimensions of the challenging conditions that trauma victims experience in order to step into the healing process.

Keywords

Docile body, space, public space, private space, Emma Donoghue, Room

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