Existential Enigma and Spiritual Development: A Comparative Analysis of the Selected Translated Texts

Abstract

The present paper deals with the metaphysical philosophy of existence, the quest for the meaning of life and the ascension towards God to be an elevated self. The journey carries a chain of afflictions on the way to finding meaning in one’s existence. Comparative analysis of Attar`s poem “The Conference of Birds” (1177 A.D) and Coelho`s novel “The Zahir” (2005) portrays this existential enigma and the quest for meaning in life, additionally examining the cultural and historical backgrounds and narrative techniques used by the authors to achieve transcendence in the stories. Employing Kierkegaard’s (1855) conceptual framework of Existentialism, the paper examines anxiety, death, and despair in this journey. Examining major questions on human existence, the study concludes that the quest for being results in the finding of truth and its reflection in the pure soul of the seeker as an accomplishment. The existentialist perspectives in the selected texts encourage reconsidering our purpose of life and fulfilling the gaps that cause anxiety, depression, death and despair and to achieve the ultimate goal of connection with God.