BETWEEN GLORY AND POWER: EXPLORING DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN ‘ALL THIS TWISTED GLORY’ A PERSIANINSPIRED NARRATIVE BY TAHEREH MAFI

This study consists of descriptive psychoanalytic analysis of Tahereh Mafi’s ‘All This Twisted Glory’, with a specific focus on the defense mechanisms employed by the protagonist Alizeh and other characters. Utilizing Freudian theory as the primary framework, the research explores how the character's psychological defenses—such as repression, denial, projection, and displacement—manifest in response to intense emotional turmoil, political instability, and personal loss. Through close textual analysis, the study examines the ways in which these mechanisms shape their perception of self, others, and of their shifting role within the court. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of character construction in fantasy fiction through the lens of psychoanalytic theory.