Two personalities

In the novel, Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz, we are first introduced to the devoted Amina. She is a housewife who praises the Qur'an, as well as her husband. Everyday she makes sure the house is clean and in the condition her husband likes it to be. Until now, there is nothing bad to mention about her because she is always on top of things. In the contrary, her husband, Mr. Ahmad, is nothing but a brutal human being who over uses his power on his family. He is portrayed as "so wealthy, strong, and handsome" by his wife, but there is only a small amount of trust we can give to a devoted wife like Amina. She only speaks positive about him. The person we can give more trust to is Mr. Ahmad himself.
While he got a visit from shaykh, we got a better sense of his personality, or personalities. We discovered that Mr. Ahmad, in fact, does have the ability to show respect towards others. He praised the shaykh and only spoke when the shaykh addressed him (38). Mr. Ahmad exposed himself opposite from he was at home. As the narrator wrote:

“The truth was dreaded and feared only in his own family. With everyone else- friends, acquaintances, and customers- he was a different person. He received his shared of respect and esteem but above all else he was loved. He was loved for the charm of his personality more than for any of his many other fine characteristics. His acquaintances did not know what he was like at home. The members of his family did not know him as others did? (36).

Nobody, but him, is aware of these two personalities he is good at hiding.

Mr. Ahmad opens up a mystery about his culture. Is it the same situation for every men, or is he the only one? We cannot answer this question, at least not yet. What we do know is that Mr. Ahmad is aware of the situation he is. He knows that he is feared at home and loved once he leaves his house.

Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990