The semiotics of the names of the characters in the novel "The Excellence of the Night over the Day" based on the opinions of "Philip Hamon"

Abstract

This study dealt with a brief definition of the Algerian novelist "Yasmina Khadra" (1955 AD), who wrote his novels in French, although he was born in Algeria. His famous novel "The Excellence of Night Over Day" (2008 AD) depicts the events that took place during the Second World War. In this novel, the novelist mixes characters related to different cultures, whether Arab or European, in order to show us the radical difference between cultures, and in this regard he pays great attention to drawing the features of the characters in their external and internal descriptions. In addition to that, he takes great care in naming, and he may employ religious names such as Yunus in exchange for European names such as Andrey, and from here the importance of naming appears as a signifier of the signified. He never committed a sin. In our study, we have relied on the semiotic approach through which we try to reveal the structure of the fictional character and the manifestations of the signifier and the signified. This research sheds light on the most prominent features of semiotics as a critical vision, and reveals the following results: 1- There is a correspondence between naming the characters and the fictional work. 2- The choice of names from different cultures, whether Algerian or French, tells about their own beliefs and their religious affiliation as believers or atheists.