Inherited Flaws

A lot of parents think that when they do different things that are questionable in society's eye, their children are ignorant of their actions, but as we see through everyday experiences, children are very intelligent and see a lot of things their parents do and often times they grow into adults and indulge in some of those very activities. In Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk, Yasin, son of Ahmad, struggles with marriage and what it takes to keep that bond alive. Throughout the novel, we see Ahmad engaging in various affair with women outside of his marriage. As far as I know, we model our relationships after the relationships exhibited by our parents, who give use our first look at marriage and the way it is suppose to be. Is Yasin merely a mirror of his father, and will he follow in his father's tarnished footsteps?
At the beginning of chapter forty six, get a since that Yasin has changed when the text states, “Yasin...poured himself into marriage with all the energy, enthusiasm, and optimism of a man who imagined he was carrying out the initial steps of a program for carnal enjoyment that would last day after day, month after month, and year after year” (307). From this quote we get a sense of Yasin undergoing change, but in his case, is that possible? Does the way he treat his wife reflect the way that Ahmad treats Amina or even further back, his mother? When looking at this quote, words that stood out were “poured” and “all”. These words that are used to characterize Yasin and his actions suggest devotion and determination to having a healthy marriage. Growing up, Yasin was forced to experience that divorce of his parents and the way in which his father treated his mother. After observing his parents divorce, Yasin, probably began to see marriage as less than sacred, which was the way in which God intended it to be seen.
After reading an article that talked about genes and the transfer of those genes, I saw that there were studies that suggested that parents may pass onto their children a gene of “indulgence”. I kknow it may sound a little far fetched, but look at this as if it were any other illness or disorder. In this context, the theory of an indulgence gene is based on the probability or statistic that suggest that it is very likely that children will indulge in some of the same actions and activities as there parents. After reading a little deeper into the book, the narrator conveys to the reader, “His greedy appetite overcame his hesitation. He put his hand on her waist. Then he pulled her gently toward his breast” (382). If this is true, is not the fact that Yasin is lustful and is an adulterer attributed to his father, Ahmad. If children whose parents are alcoholics and exhibit psychopathic symptoms by chance have the same disorders, then why couldn't a kid whose parent or parents were adulterers have the same problem. As it relates to Yasin, Yasin's problems with adultery are or could be attributed to Ahmad.
As infants, we are flesh of our parent's flesh, sharing genes and makeup. As a reader, consider this gene of “indulgence”. Is it not plausible? What if these certain questionable characteristic are genetic and can be inherited? Is Ahmad not the blame, or are Yasin's actions a result of his parent's divorce and account of this parents' marriage?