Rumi and the Paradox of Character in The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

This paper aims to study the characters in Elif Shafak's The Forty Rules of Love in the context of Sufism. It primarily examines what Aziz and Ella represent beyond the text. Parallels are drawn between the eponymous characters, Rumi, and other mystics of the time. Sufi philosophy is studied through symbolic significance of the elements fire and water. The Christian wisdom present is also observed. Allusions to the Masnavi, Rumi's magnum opus, is inferred to be present in the novel. Ella and Aziz grow and change. This growth is examined through the four stages of Sufism.