Woman

After reading the first part of the novel, Palace Walk, we are able to see the difference between a man and a woman and which position they serve. In the opening paragraph, Amina has grown accustom to the way she serves her husband, Ahmad, after he returns from an evening of entertainment. We see here that the purpose of a woman is to keep her husband pleased, to serve the husband. As for men, they are able to enjoy the night out, while their wives stay home. Ahmad says, “ I’m a man. I’m the one who commands and forbids. I will not accept any criticism of my behavior. All ask of you is to obey me” (4). This tells us that around this day and age, men overpower the women. A woman’s duty is to obey the man, at any means.

Further throughout the passage, Yasin says, "A woman. Yes, she's nothing but a woman. Every woman is a filthy curse. A woman doesn't know what virtue is, unless she's denied all opportunities for adultery. Even my stepmother, who's a fine woman-- God only knows what she would be like if it weren't for my father" (81).

The way men degrade women, really stands out. Throughout the novel, we see that men overpower women. The men go out and work to support the family financially, and the women stay home to cook, to take care of the children, and most importantly to serve the men. Many people argue since society has changed it might seem bad now, but in the past it was okay to treat women the way they did. But, even in the past it seems unjust to refer to woman the way Yasin does. The way Yasin degrades women in this passage, is overwhelming. Yasin says a woman is a “filthy curse” and that a woman is nothing without a man. But in before he mentions his this passage, in the bar Yasin says, "It was just bad luck which plunked that man in front of me today. He's destined to die one day. I wish a lot of men would die. He's not the only one" (80). He is saying the way men act towards women is disrespectful, and that eventually they will die along with their views toward women. But in the passage above he refers to women as filthy. So, we see that Yasin is unsure on how he views women. Does he really think less of women, or does he just have hatred towards is mother?