Psycholinguistic Reading of Sinan Antoon's The Corpse Washer

This study explores the intricate linguistic features of Sinan Antoon's novel, The Corpse Washer. Through a detailed examination of the novel's language, this study seeks to uncover how Antoon employs linguistic techniques to reflect the socio-political realities of war-torn Iraq. The analysis focuses on the linguistic style of narration, the language of dialogues, and the use of metaphor, demonstrating how Antoon's unique linguistic choices convey the emotional depth and cultural context of the protagonist's journey. By dissecting the interplay between language and meaning (according to Cutler, 2012), the paper illuminates the ways in which Antoon's prose captures the complexities of grief, loss, and resilience. The findings offer new insights into the relationship between language and identity in contemporary literary studies, contributing to a deeper understanding of the novel's thematic and stylistic significance. The paper concludes that the language in the novel is a tool for expressing trauma, cultures and cultural identity.