The question whether real life can be interpreted in terms of fiction , or the other way round , has never been adequately answered ; but in so far as we judge the characters in fiction by real life criteria , adjusted to fit each character in a given fictional situation , I do not think the reverse is illegitimate .
Considering a psychological feature like obsession , often encountered in cases of obsessive-compulsive disorders and the like , which we readily apply to fictional characters , it is surely possible to seek in real life the origins of our very definition of the disorder , the model that originally drove the critics to apply it to such characters . What if a fictional character suffers from a disorder that is found quite clearly in a public figure ? would if not be possible then to compare the two versions of the same disorder , and with it the two characters ?
Thinking along these lines , I noticed , from an examination of the words of the former Iraqi dictator , Saddam Hussein , that a streak of a certain psychological disorder qualifies him for a comparison with a notable fictional character , namely Heathcliff , the protagonist of Wuthering Heights . Notwithstanding the obvious differences , both Heathcliff and Saddam are obsessed persons . While Heathciff is obsessed with reunion with Catherine Earnshaw , Saddam is obsessed with obtaining absolute power of reunion with Kuwait . Both suffer the same influences of obsession: they behave violently against those who opposed or rebelled against them; both betray their friends; persecute others as a kind of revenge; and aggress on other s property .
This paper was published in a magazine called FIKR WA IBDA Cairo University 2009
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