La dynamique de la résilience à travers la figure de l’enfant dans le roman L’enfant qui mesurait le monde de Metin Arditi [Articol]

Abstract

This study investigates the complex intersection between trauma, neurodivergent alterity, and identity reconstruction in L’enfant qui mesurait le monde by Metin Arditi. Focusing on the relationship between Yannis, an autistic child, and Eliot, an architect devastated by grief, the research proposes the concept of “reciprocal resilience” as a central interpretative framework. The analysis demonstrates how mathematical precision and ritualized behavior function as ontological defenses against chaos, transforming perceived limitations into structural resources for healing. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, including the theories of Boris Cyrulnik and Friedrich Nietzsche, the study explores resilience as a relational and dynamic process rather than an individual recovery. The island setting operates as a symbolic microcosm reflecting both geopolitical decay and internal fragmentation. Methodologically, the research combines thematic criticism and phenomenological literary psychology to uncover the symbolic architecture of the text. Key elements such as numerology, sacred geometry, and ritual practices are interpreted as mediators between emotional chaos and structural order. The findings suggest that resilience emerges through the creation of a “third language” that reconciles rational structure with emotional depth. Ultimately, the novel redefines trauma not as a rupture to be erased, but as the foundation for a renewed existential architecture.