ARCHETYPAL DIMENSIONS OF EVIL IN THE NOVEL BY MARIA MATIOS «THE SHOES OF THE MOTHER OF GOD»

Abstract

The article analyzes the embodiment of the concept of evil in the novel The Shoes of the Mother of God by Maria Matios and outlines its main dimensions. Evil is inseparable from the psyche of the individual, as outlined in the psychological works of F. Zimbardo and C. G. Jung. It is also seen as an integral part of the dichotomy of human existence, so the diverse verbalization of the concept of evil is inherent in verbal creativity throughout the evolutionary progress of human civilization. In oral folk and literary works, evil appears in certain images. Modern and postmodern literature represents an ambiguous attitude to evil and its multidimensional interpretation. This gives grounds for identifying different dimensions of evil in Maria Matios's novel The Shoes of the Mother of God, where it is presented at the levels of the individual and collective unconscious, as well as in the national context, which is determined by the historical vicissitudes of a particular topos – Bukovyna. The methodological approach of the study involves the identification of images that potentially serve as the personification of evil in the novel. These images, in turn, can embody personal and universal archetypes, as well as trigger national concepts that reveal particularly sensitive themes for Ukrainian literature and for Maria Matios, in particular. This allows us to come closer to understanding the writer's worldview on the problem of good and evil, which is part of her psychological portrait in the psycho-poetic paradigm of research. In the novel “The Shoes of the Mother of God”, evil is considered through the reception of the protagonist Ivanka Borsuk. It is presented in three dimensions: mythical, personal, and social/historical. The mythical dimension of evil is outlined through Ivanka's perception and interpretation of folk beliefs, which are visualized through the girl's imagination. The personal dimension is presented through the narrative's psychologism, which allows the reader to comprehend Ivanka's psychological world and the process of her individuation, an important component of which is the integration of the Shadow. Maria Matios considers these dimensions as ambiguous or unavoidable, caused by external or intrapsychic factors. Instead, absolute evil is presented in the social/historical dimension through a gradation of manifestations from everyday discrimination on ethnic grounds to the brutal massacre of Jews by the German invaders. The historical evil is fully embodied in the images of Soviet (red) and German (black) soldiers. Maria Matios reveals her uncompromising attitude to the cruelty of the conquerors, but the image of the “Red Commissar” is a kind of warning that evil can take on attractive forms and personify the ambiguous archetype of the Trickster.