Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 1، Apeil 2026 ، issue Number 119

Examining the Elements of Naturalism in Popular Fiction Novels within the Framework of Rhetorical and Ideological Layers of Women’s Writing: A Case Study: Zakhm-khordegān-e taghdir(Wounded by Fate) byFahimeh Rahimi

Zohre Tajaddod , Mahyar Alavi Moghaddam (Author in Charge), Mahmoud Firouzi Moghaddam , Ali Sadeghimanesh

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this article is to explore how female fate is represented as a structural and inevitable force in Fahimeh Rahimi’s novel The Fated Wounded through the ideological and rhetorical layers of the text. This study focuses on elucidating the distinctive features of social naturalism in portraying women’s experiences in a patriarchal society, with an emphasis on biological, social, and hereditary determinism.

METHODOLOGY: The research employs a descriptive-analytical approach based on library-based studies. Data analysis is conducted qualitatively through inductive reasoning, relying on exemplary evidence extracted from various parts of the novel. The central focus lies on analyzing the rhetorical layers of the text to uncover the naturalistic worldview embedded within it.

FINDINGS: The rhetorical analysis reveals that the use of rhetorical elements such as similes, metaphors, a mournful tone, the recurrence of failures, meaningful silences, and folk allusions creates a network that conveys a sense of determinism and the exclusion of women’s agency. Ideologically, the novel simultaneously reproduces fatalism and reinforces gender stereotypes; however, by depicting their devastating consequences, it offers an implicit critique of the patriarchal structure.

CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the novel effectively employs components of social naturalism in representing the fate of the female protagonist. An analysis of Fahimeh Rahimi’s broader oeuvre shows that among her seven studied works, only The Fated Wounded exhibits the hallmarks of the naturalist school, making it the focal point of this research. The female discourse in this work articulates women’s lived experiences through emotional language and a narrative of suffering and silence.

Keyword
Naturalism , Women’s Writing , Fahimeh Rahimi , Wounded by Fate , Rhetorical and ideologic Analysis