"He awoke like a person emerging from a long, deep sleep to the convulsions of a violent earthquake. In those two minutes he saw a whole life summed up by one image, like a brief scene in a dream that brings together diverse events that would take years in the real world.He saw his father the way he truly was- his father, not some other man, but not as he was accustomed to seeing him." (Pg. 249)
Naguib Mahfouz uses illustration effectively by presenting us with the unusual joyous character of Yasins' father. The secrecy behind his father's affair brings about the bigger issue in this book of oppression in a culture. The struggle to express ideas within a family is rejected by the presence of the father. Though its not seen in this way by the culture, we see it by knowing the characters thoughts. Fear and courage play a big part in whether this ever changes. This passage represents this by finally seeing the father for who he was, but the point is that he did it behind an ungrateful act.
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Can you be more specific here, Sammy, in your comments about Ahmad? I'm not exactly sure what you are referring to. Who is oppressed and how? What does Ahmad's affair have to do with this? Or with the scene described? What does this scene illustrate about the idea of oppression? Or does it illustrate something else? Take the time to articulate who and what you are referring to -- so that we can make the same connections you do.
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