Country Criticism in Herta Müller's Novel Tek Bacaklı Yolcu

Abstract

Winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature, Müller is a writer who had to leave the land where she was born and raised due to the oppression of the communist regime in Romania. The author, who was closely monitored by the Romanian Secret Police (Securitate) in her family and working life, wrote about the difficulties he experienced with the symbolic language she developed. The communist regime that prevailed in the lands where the German minority lived in Romania significantly influenced the author's literary behaviour. Presenting a dystopian environment in her works, Müller focused on escape, asylum/survival, threat, identity problems, loneliness, fear and family conflicts. In the novel Tek Bacaklı Yolcu (Reisende auf einem Bein), the struggle for survival of the protagonist Irene, who leaves her family and friends behind and expects to be happy for being able to cross to the West, but is caught in the middle with the longing for her homeland and loved ones, is discussed. Since Irene is perceived as a threat in the new country where she is seen as an asylum seeker, she is left alone and cannot fulfil her expectations. The element of criticism comes to the fore with the contrast between the protagonist's fears and expectations. The main source of criticism is the dictatorial regime that does not use the country's assets in the right way. Irene, the spokesperson of the people who are left in oppression and poverty due to the form of government, reveals the deficiencies with her comparisons. The work, which bears autobiographical traces, is also important as it is the first work written by the author after she started living in Germany.

In our study, Müller's novel Tek Bacaklı Yolcu (Reisende auf einem Bein) is analysed in terms of country criticism. In the work, the dictator and her practices, the communist regime, the Secret Police Organisation, the economic and social welfare level are evaluated as factors that make the country unlivable. In the study, which was produced with the text-dependent analysis method, after a brief information about the author and the work, the analysis part was started with examples from the work.