THE IMAGE OF SAINT JOSEPH IN THE NOVEL “CIEŃ OJCA” BY J. DOBRACZYŃSKI AND THE LEXICAL MEANS OF ITS CREATION

Abstract

The article studies an image of St. Joseph in the novel “Cień Ojca” by a Polish writer J. Dobraczyński. The lexemes selected by the author for the nomination of the character and their role in revealing his image and the artistic idea of the work are analyzed in detail. Based on the research of Joseph’s names, it is established that the novel is divided into two parts. In the first of them, the saint is shown against the background of his relations with the outside world. The author presents Joseph as a hardworking carpenter, a modest heir of the David’s royal line, a pious man who is considered wise, fair and honest. The character’s love for silence is emphasized, which in the novel is a symbol of the God’s presence. In the second part, Joseph reveals against the background of an internal conflict: the saint must understand and accept his role in the Jesus’ life. The crisis of self-identification is illustrated in the novel by the opposition of the lexemes cień ‘shadow’, which the author uses in moments of Joseph’s doubts, linking the name with the invisibility and lesser importance of the saint, and ojciec ‘father’, which is used more and more often as the hero accepts his position.