Pathetic Kamal

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Kamal walks to his father’s shop to demand that his father bring his mother, Amina, back. This scene is one of my favorites because it has so much emotion. You feel like a child again because you are placed in Kamal’s head as he approaches his father’s shop. This scene has so much pathos that it reminds me of when I was younger. I would get scared at night and want to walk to my parent’s room across the house. It would take me about 10 minutes lying there in bed staring and the dark ceiling to finally convince myself to sit up. It would be about 30 minutes when I finally reached half way down the hall that I started to rethink my decision. I would contemplate on everything that my parents would say. I would start to walk back when 5 seconds later I had run into the room and was tapping my mother’s shoulder telling her I was scared and if she could come sleep with me.

Kamal’s experience made me have a flashback and think of that one specific time. I could feel Kamal’s hands shake and sweat. I could feel his heart beat and possibly skip a beat. I could anticipate his fear to be rejected and turned down. I could feel the certain chill run through my back and up my neck and that jolt of strength that caused his reaction. This is an excellent scene full of pathos and such detail.

Mahfouz did a great job of interpreting a child’s mind and feelings. He even used simpler word choice to get you in the child mood. He also describes the feelings and emotions the child has very well. “The moment his father’s eyes turned away, the boy revived. Afraid the man would leave and the opportunity be lost, without pausing to consider what he was doing Kamal shouted. ‘Bring back Mama, God help you.’ Then he sped away as fast as the wind” (215).