Giles Goat-Boy, John Barth’s Confrontation with Positivist Sphinxes: A Symbolic Derision on the Language of Power

Articles in Press

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
S. V. Abtahi 1
J. Sokhanvar 2
1 English Department, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Research and Science Branch, Tehran
2 Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University
Abstract
Giles, Goat-Boy is a black comedy to bite everyone. Embodied in a postmodern fabulation, Barth’s sense of humor allows him to create a political allegory on any structure of power that claims to save humanity. GILES, a hybrid of a machine and a goat, is tasked with the mission to lead the so-called academic society through instrumental intellect. But he can only go so far as not to create a conflict of interest between the ruling powers. The pattern used in creating Giles is an imitation of the classic patterns in creation and journey of a hero, except that Giles is destined to appear as a scapegoat against the positivist Sphinx of Time. Such an approach begs the main question of the research: How ideological systems sacrifice their heroes to secure their interests? This hypothesis is also in line with Frankfurt School’s critical theory, which considers the capitalist system to be a violation of freedom and social values. The intellectuals such as Horkheimer and Adorno consider man to be a victim of objectification and alienation arising from social and political conflicts. They also believe that hegemonic systems have humiliated man with false pleasures. Just as Giles fails to reform the most powerful ruling system, WESCAC, so Barth symbolically paints a bleak picture of human destiny in modern society today. The purpose of the research is to raise human awareness about the harsh laws that are the ominous products of instrumental intellect, as one of the defining elements of capitalist system.

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Available Online from 13 July 2025