The Widow

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The Widow is a tragic female character in Nikos Kazantzakis's novel "Zorba the Greek," whose relationship with the narrator and subsequent fate highlight the clash between individual desire and oppressive social norms in a Cretan village.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
appearsIn Zorba the Greek NERFINISHED
appearsInMedium novel
associatedWithAuthorNationality Greek literature
associatedWithCharacter Alexis Zorba NERFINISHED
Pavlis NERFINISHED
the narrator (Basil) NERFINISHED
causeOfDeath murder by villagers
createdBy Nikos Kazantzakis NERFINISHED
diesIn Zorba the Greek NERFINISHED
emotionAssociated desire
fear
grief
shame
firstPublicationOfWork 1946
gender female
genreOfWork modern Greek literature
philosophical novel
killedBecauseOf perceived dishonor
relationship with the narrator
killedBy Cretan villagers
languageOfWork Greek
literaryPeriod 20th-century literature
narrativeFunction catalyst for village violence
embodiment of victimized womanhood
reveals hypocrisy of village community
tests narrator’s moral courage
nationality Greek
occupation widow
relationshipWith Alexis Zorba NERFINISHED
the narrator
residence Cretan village
roleInWork love interest of the narrator
tragic character
setting Crete NERFINISHED
symbolizes conflict between passion and convention
female vulnerability under patriarchy
innocent victim of collective violence
themeInvolvement clash between individual desire and social norms
honor culture
oppressive social morality
patriarchal violence
sexual repression

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.