Violence in Fiction: A Semiotic and Symbolic Exploration of the Transformation of the Literary Character

Abstract

This article explores the theme of violence through the construction of the literary character. Its aim is to analyse how protagonists, shaped by the writing of violence, manifest — through their way of being and their trajectory — a form of violence and irony that is both ontological and symbolic. The study places particular emphasis on onomastics: character names cease to be mere labels, instead emerging as true bearers of meaning and significance, and thus becoming essential markers of violence.

Furthermore, this research seeks to approach violence by intersecting two dimensions: the body and language. The objective is to show how the physicality of the characters becomes both a mirror and an extension of the violence embedded in their speech. In other words, the analysis examines how language, turning away from its primary function, transforms into an instrument of destruction — of self, of others, and, more broadly, of the world.

Keywords: Violence-Literary Character-Onomastics-Ontological and Symbolic Irony-Body and Language.

Received Date: April 21, 2026

Accepted Date: May 12, 2026

Published Date: June 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/865