Critical Stylistic analysis of the Concept of Extremism in DeLillo’s Falling Man (2007)

Abstract:

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The increase in the number of terrorist attacks, especially the shocking event of 9/11 led to the wide coverage of  topics such as terrorism and extremism. Such coverage is not only conveyed by the media and newspaper articles, but also by creating novels. As a result, the current study focuses on the concept of extremism. The hallmark of this study is to illustrate how such concept is ideologically embedded within a text. Thus, this study is confined to Don DeLillo’s Falling man (2007). In this novel, DeLillo describes the trauma caused by 9/11 attacks. It is important to note that he  recruits his language to mirror Islam as an extreme religion.  To access the concept of extremism in this novel, the researchers will apply a critical stylistic approach. Therefore, the analysis will  depend heavily on the textual conceptual model that is represented by Jeffries (2010) to uncover the hidden ideologies related to extremism. The aims of current study is to investigate the way the linguistic meaning is used as a vehicle for constructing the ideology of extremism in the selected novel; in addition to identify the textual meaning that underlies extremism in the selected novel.  With the aid of critical stylistic tools, the researchers find out that DeLillo employs the use of certain linguistic choices in his novel. These choices tackle the concept of extremism focusing on the violent attitude behind such a concept with an attempt to link this concept to Islam and Muslims.