In the
Aristotelian method, an essential determinant to a drama’s ability to
emotionally affect the audience is dependent upon changes to the status quo and
the uncovering of new information. Using the term “reversal,” Aristotle defines
such an instance as “a change by which the action veers round to its opposite,
subject always to our rule of probability or necessity” (Aristotle). Furthermore,
Aristotle, specifies the importance of individual reversals or discoveries by
characterizing them with certain degrees of “magnitude,” or how big of a swing
occurs from good fortune to bad fortune (Aristotle). Viewing the events of A Separation through this lens, much of
the action unfolding in the story space employs reversals to facilitate
emotional effect. In the film, Razieh, the caretaker of Nader’s father, is
introduced as a convenient assistance for Nader since his wife, Simin, has
moved out. When Nader returns home one day to find his father tied to his
bedpost, while lying on the ground unconscious, there occurs the first severe
reversal. Over the course of the remainder of the film, two other strong
reversals occur, with the accusation of Nader causing Razieh’s miscarriage, and
with Razieh’s admission of being hit by a car one day prior to her fight with
Nader. The presence of these reversals is central to the acute emotions of
distress evoked by the film, and their nature runs parallel to the arguments
put forth by Aristotle.
It must be
known that the effects of reversals are heightened when working in tandem with
the use of discoveries. Describing the function of reversals and discoveries
together, Aristotle states, “A Complex action is one in which the change is
accompanied by such Reversal, or by Recognition, or by both” (Aristotle). When
occurring simultaneously, the surprise and sentimental response is greater than
it would be if a reversal or discovery were communicated in isolation. This
“recognition” is made when information unbeknownst to the viewer is revealed. Much
of the visceral reactions coming from the plot in A Separation are built by discovery. More interesting though, I
argue, is that the most pivotal reversals of the film could all equally be
defined as discoveries. With this knowledge, there is also arguably a case to
call for an adjustment of terminology to be made, for I would foresee a pattern
in many other cases of storytelling in which such reversals in the status quo are
achieved through the unveiling of new information.
Discovery
acts in further ways in the film, however. The daughter being emotionally torn
asunder during the Nader’s and Simin’s tumultuous relationship, Termer, is a
hub of discovery within the plot. Acting as a source of hidden information,
Termeh announcements are critical to the viewer’s perception of Nader’s
potential guilt and the future well being of their family. It is via Termeh’s
communication with her father that the viewer is informed of two crucial pieces
of information: Nader’s knowledge of Razieh’s pregnancy before the incident and
Simin’s intentions to move back home. With these acts, I argue Termeh is the
most Aristotelian character in A
Separation. As a source recognition and reversal in the story, and for
other reasons mentioned later, Termeh is a common medium through which Farhadi
creates an Aristotelian drama.
The events
of an Aristotelian drama, perhaps interrelated with the phenomenon of discovery
and reversal, follow the assertions of Aristotle that a story does not contain
a sequence in which the events hold no causal relevance to one another.
Instead, as Seymour Chatman describes in his essay Story and Discourse, the sequence is “radically correlative, enchaining,
entailing” (Chatman 45). Not only do the events carry a strong bond to each
other, but Aristotle further asserts that, these connections should be related
well enough that the basic cohesion of the story depends on their alignment.
“The component incidents must be so arranged that if one of them be transposed
or removed, the unity of the whole is dislocated and destroyed” (Aristotle). Although
challenging to fully prove, I argue that the camerawork, gestures, and dialogue
used in the film are highly instrumental to the effect the film has as a
unified piece of art. Juxtaposed to other viewed films I argue to be more
non-Aristotelian, such as Oslo, August 31st,
the comprehension of A Separations
events are much more reliant on the presence of previous developments. For example,
if the shot of Razieh running into the street to stop Nader’s father from
leaving the house were absent from the film, Razieh’s confession that a car hit
her would be received with great confusion. Furthermore, in more abstract form,
the use of windows as dividing forces of the characters exhibited in the
camerawork seek to metaphorically express the barriers of tension and
frustration felt between Nader, Simin, and Termeh. Analyzing the degree
interrelatedness across the plot, as well as the meaningful use of such
symbolic barriers, Farhadi is both implicitly and explicitly constructing a
strong Aristotelian plot.
As
previously mentioned, causality is crucial to the forward movement of the plot.
In dissecting the inner workings of the plots motivations, I find Seymour
Chatman to have a noteworthy addition to Aristotle’s theory. Chatman argues for
a more encompassing theoretical framework, in which the term “contingency” is
employed rather than “causality.” For a stories plot to hinge on contingency, Chatman
states the characters and plot depend on something not yet certain (Chatman 47).
I find this theoretical lens to be a valid extension of Aristotle’s causation,
finding profound pertinence to the narrative of A Separation. Much of the dramatic tension riddled throughout the
story space is communicated via the uncertainty of future events. The
plausibility that Simin and Nader will remain separated, the legitimacy of
Nader’s guilt, and the true cause of the miscarriage, all generate room for
internal debate for the viewer. On a more micro scale, the viewer is plagued
with uncertainty by the volatility of Hodjat, Razieh’s husband, whose threats
to Nader put the safety of the family in jeopardy. I assert that this duty
granted to the viewer to act as the judge of the events, with its associated
anxiety, is a highly Aristotelian quality. Through the contingency created by
the plot’s events and the manifestation of unpredictability, A Separation exemplifies a plot
structure representative of Aristotelian narrative theory.
Coexistent
with the role of contingency present in A
Separation are the developments of complication and denouement. As a
significant factor of the theory of Aristotelian narrative macrostructure,
complication is “all that which extends from the beginning of the action to the
part which marks the turning point to good or bad fortune” (Aristotle). I make
the case that the focal point of the plot, which marks the end of the complication
is the scene in which Razieh first admits to Simin that she had been hit by a
car. Up until this point, the tumultuous nature of the plot continuously
builds, creating the entanglement defined by Aristotle. Until this moment,
Nader’s innocence cannot go unchallenged. It is once Razieh divulges this
information that we, as viewers, perceive a notable swing from unfortunate to
fortunate circumstances. The magnitude of this swing it the greatest in the
film. The denouement, for Aristotle, is less strict in definition, only marking
the “beginning of the change to the end” (Aristotle). Nonetheless, there is a
distinct mounting of tension that leads up to the discovery of the
miscarriage’s true cause. Through the formation of this Aristotelian
complication, A Separation lays the
ground for a peak in the plot and sets the stage for an emotional necessity for
narrative closure.
The sense
of unity Aristotle calls for in narrative structure is incomplete without the
presence of closure. Juxtaposed to the convention of closure in the classical
system, the conclusion of A Separation
may appear to be less comprehensive in its ability to “wrap things up,” as they
say. However, I contend that the denouement of A Separation falls neatly within the theoretical framework of
Aristotle, acting as an undeniably cogent example of narrative closure. In his
essay Narrative Closure, Noel Carroll
outlines Aristotle’s concept of unity, stating that his idea of completeness “is
a representation of an action where the representation itself excites the
apprehension of closure” (Carroll 3). Clearly, the previous delineated theories
regarding complication, discovery and reversal, as well as contingency,
contribute together to produce an emotional reaction. By achieving this
reaction Farhadi created a key narrative structure in Aristotelian theory.
“Once the irrational has been introduced and an air of likelihood imparted to
it, we must accept it in spite of its absurdity” (Aristotle). At its most complex,
the plot of A Separation reaches a
state of ridiculousness in which the repercussions for the incident explode
beyond prediction. Yet, the predicament is strong in its believability, a
triumph as an Aristotelian drama. Carroll points out, Aristotle views a story
of successful narrative closure to be one in which the audience is willingly
anticipating the culmination of events. Through its organization, A Separation forges entanglement and
evokes uncertainty in a compelling fashion, which causes this described
phenomenon; the viewer needs and asks to be enlightened by how the actions will
conclude
Some theorists may argue that the plot
structure of A Separation exhibits
more of a non-Aristotelian form. The source of one main argument could be the
evidence that the narrative does not follow one story line, but that the film
diverges into the space of two separate narratives. The story of Nader and
Simin’s separation carries narrative consequences throughout the film as does
the narrative between Razieh and Nader concerning the accusations that Nader
caused her miscarriage. Certainly, both cases present looming repercussions in
the film, but I refute that the two narratives, holding events consequential to
one another, form one intertwined story space. The well being of the couples’
marriage in the film is placed in limbo from the upstart. However, the
emotional stress placed on Nader and Simin from Razieh’s miscarriage is
directly essential to the outcome of the narrative of their relationship, and
vice versa. The event causes Simin to challenge Nader’s honesty and for Nader
to attempt to place blame on Simin for hiring Razieh. Although possible to
claim the narrative as split, the direction the separation of Nader and Simin
takes is at the mercy of how Nader’s court case unfolds.
Arguably
the most central aspect of the Aristotelian drama is the presence and
development of the film’s protagonist. This alone could also, in the eyes of
some theorists, place A Separations ability
to act as an Aristotelian drama at risk. Despite the strong presence and
focalization of multiple characters in the film, Termeh is the centerpiece of A Separation. Her character’s actions
carry direct influence on many of the film’s developments and the actions of
others are essential in the well being of her character. Although not
explicitly expressed as classical Hollywood films, Termeh has a heroic dilemma:
save her parents from a pending divorce and happily reunite their family. Her
efforts are to thwart her parents’ separation are, at times, more clear, such
as when she pleads for her father to let her mother come home. Nonetheless, in
the end, her attempts are fruitless. Under the six types of Aristotelian heroes
described by Chatman, one keenly describes the role of Termeh as “the noble
hero” who “fails through miscalculation, which arouses our fear and pity.” Amid
all the chaos created by the plot, there is a common emotion the viewer is
aware of: the hope for Nader and Simin to reunite, ending Termeh of her
suffering. As Termeh stands before the
judge in the film’s closing seconds, her pain is a testament to her heroic
actions. With the establishment of Termeh as the film’s protagonist, A Separation acts as a complete example
for the Aristotelian drama.
Works Cited
Aristotle. Poetics.
N.p.: The Project Gutenberg, 2008. N. pag. Print.
Carroll,
Noel. "Narrative Closure." Philosophical Studies 135.1
(2007): 1-15. Print.
Chatman,
Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative
Structure in Fiction. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1978. 1-138. Print.
Film Grade: Flat 9
