Exploring The Dark Corridors in Peyami Safa’s Ninth External Ward

Abstract

This study explores the use of metaphor in Peyami Safa’s (1899–1961) Ninth External Ward
(Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu), with particular emphasis on the psychological function of the
“corridor” (dehliz) image. Metaphors in the novel serve to concretize the protagonist’s intense emotional states—including illness, pain, fear, and loneliness—while also structuring the narrative’s psychological depth. The demonization of illness, the personification of pain, and the symbolic transformation of physical spaces operate as key narrative strategies that enhance the emotional resonance of the text. The metaphor of the ‘corridor’ serves as a symbol within the rich network of meanings, representing both the dark and uncertain atmosphere of the hospital setting and the protagonist’s inner impasses. The novel’s autobiographical dimension strengthens the authenticity of its depictions of physical and psychological suffering. Peyami Safa’s rendering of the individual’s internal conflicts through psychological analysis significantly contributes to the development of interiority in modern Turkish fiction. Overall, the study demonstrates that metaphors in the novel function not merely as aesthetic devices but as structural elements that articulate the protagonist’s existential struggle, search for hope, and negotiation of the self–other relationship.