The narrative structure of Youssef Ben Tayeb’s “the rob of light”

A study of themes, characters, and setting

Abstract

This study examines Youssef Ben Tayeb’s short-story “the rob of light” by focusing on some of its major thematic and artistic components, particularly themes characters, and setting. It aims to reveal the intellectual, social, and human perspectives underlying the writer employs these elements to construct his fictional world.  The collection is characterized by a diversity of themes, including love; separation, sadness, and pain, as well as a critique of various social phenomena. It also addresses marriage and family relationships, representations of women, politics, and nostalgia, through which the writer explores individual experiences and their connection to social and cultural reality. The characters and setting contribute to the construction of the stories and the production of meaning. Characters are presented through physical, psychological, and social features, while settings such as houses, cafés, trains, and educational institutions reflect the characters’ psychological and social conditions and contribute to the development of events. The study concludes that “the rob of light” combines thematic diversity with artistic techniques that enable the writer to express human concerns and critically engage with social, cultural, and political reality.