La Sémiotique de L’Exil dans Les Raisins de la Galère de Tahar Ben Jelloun The Semiotics of Exile in The Grapes of the Galley by Tahar Ben Jelloun

Abstract

This paper provides a critical analysis of Tahar Ben Jelloun's novel Les Raisins de la galère, focusing on the themes of identity quest and exile. Through these issues, the work highlights the deep-seated malaise of a postcolonial generation torn between disillusionment, wandering, and inner fragmentation. The study seeks to question the status and rights of immigrants in the metropolis, while exploring the resulting ambivalent relationships. Particular attention is given to the obstacles to integration, especially the question of identity, which in the novel manifests as psychological suffering, fervor, delinquency, rejection of uniqueness, and a quest for belonging to a community. The tragic consequences of this marginalization often give rise to a "self" obsessed with identification, where the "I" ultimately defines itself in a context of hatred of the Other. It is in a desire to go beyond a central literature to conquer a universal literature that Tahar Ben Jelloun refers us from the title to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck to continue to raise the ideological and socio-economic concerns of his time. This study begins by addressing the notion of the "problematic hero", a concept borrowed from Georg Lukács, who defines it as a figure constantly experiencing an identity crisis, shaped by the tensions of their time. This framework offers a lens through which to examine the society in which the novel's characters evolve. In this light, it seems appropriate to closely follow the development of the main character, Nadia—the narrator—who gradually asserts herself throughout the narrative by striving to distinguish herself from others, both personally and socially. The study also aims to analyze exile as a central theme in postcolonial Maghrebi literature, often linked to the phenomenon of immigration, particularly with the emergence of the Beur generation. This generation, which forms the focal point of the novel, embodies the cultural and socio-economic inequalities they endure. Moreover, the analysis seeks to uncover the intergenerational malaise: that of parents marked by submission and internalized marginalization, and children shaped by rebellion and a search for identity. The examination of the problematic hero, the tragic ending, and the motif of exile will thus serve as the foundation for analyzing the various forms of racism, alienation, and identity struggles depicted in the novel.