Cruel Optimism in Athol Fugard's A Lesson from the Aloes | ||
| حوليات أداب عين شمس | ||
| Volume 53, Issue 11 - Serial Number 3, September 2025, Pages 264-279 PDF (487.95 K) | ||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/aafu.2025.395004.1963 | ||
| Author | ||
| Inam Hashim Hadi | ||
| Department of English Language/ College of Education( Ibn Rushd) for Human Sciences/ University of Baghdad/ Iraq | ||
| Abstract | ||
| This research investigates the manifestation of "cruel optimism" in Athol Fugard's A Lesson from the Aloes, specifically analyzing how the characters experience crisis ordinariness, impasse, and misrecognition. The study aims to explicate how these receptive and experiential states shape the characters' responses to personal and socio-political ordeals under apartheid. The analysis employs Lauren Berlant's theoretical framework of cruel optimism, which describes the emotional attachments to desires or objects that ultimately disrupt flourishing. The findings reveal that each character is enmeshed by forms of cruel optimism: Piet clings to the ideal of resilience and belonging, yet this attachment deepens his sense of displacement. Gladys yearns for psychological safety, but her efforts are overwhelmed by trauma and the persistent threat of betrayal, leading to a perpetual state of impasse. Steve's hope for solidarity and escape is undermined by suspicion and systemic oppression. His cruel optimism stems from his misrecognition to initiate a better future to his family. The play demonstrates how crisis becomes ordinary and how misrecognition undermines the possibility of genuine connection. A Lesson from the Aloes offers a pathetic exploration of how individuals attach themselves to sustaining optimistic fantasies that, under conditions of political and personal imprisonment, become obstacles to their well-being. The play exemplifies Berlant’s concept of cruel optimism and illuminates the affective costs of survival in a hostile environment. Ultimately, Fugard’s characters epitomize the paradox of seeking hope and meaning in circumstances that continually frustrate both. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Cruel optimism; apartheid; crisis ordinariness; impasse; Misrecognition; Afrikaners | ||
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