"...his young heart found hard to bear."

“’Oh…’ He had been having such fun talking and playing that he had almost forgotten the message he had come to deliver. Her question reminded him of his mission. He looked at her with a different eye, an eye that wished to delve deep inside her to learn the secret power that was rocking his fine, sober brother. When he realized that he as the bearer of unhappy news, his inquisitive look disintegrated. He said despondently, ‘Fahmy sent me’” (134-135).

This passage was probably the passage that really hit me the most. In this section, the author of Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz, introduces the story of a young boy and girl that are pretty much in love. Although young, Kamal and Maryam are shown to be in the process of falling in love. Mahfouz shows us the process in which the two engage in activities that a couple in a relationship would normally engage in. Through Mahfouz’s writing, we’re able to see that Kamal and Maryam truly care for each other. On page 134, we see how Kamal and Maryam are playful with each other.

“She stretched her hand toward his armpit, but he moved in the opposite direction and crossed his arms over his chest to protect himself. A nervous laugh escaped him, as though her fingers actually were tickling him. . . She raised her hands over her head. His fingers attacked under her arms and proceeded to tickle her as gently and quickly as possible” (134).

This passage clearly demonstrates the playful relationship that Kamal and Maryam had. It shows the affection they had for each other just as it’s shown when Mahfouz writes, “Maryam grasped his chin with her right hand and kissed his lips time and again” (134). The relationship between the two was clear and without a doubt, the feelings were real. But, as soon as Maryam asks Kamal how he was able to get away, we see sadness overcome the two. Kamal’s brother, Fahmy has chosen Maryam for himself and has already asked for permission to become engaged to her. Although permission wasn’t granted because Fahmy had yet to complete his studies, they both know that he intends on engaging her and he’ll, more than likely, succeed.

The fact that arranged marriages occurred in this time period and still do makes me extremely sad. I find it appalling how, in some cases, a couple that is in love and happy can’t stay together simply because another man has claimed her to be his first. Obviously, since I was born and raised in the United States with different customs and beliefs than those in the book, I find this very heartbreaking. But, I’m forced to read this in the eyes of the people with the customs and beliefs that are completely different than mine. To them, this is how things are supposed to go. A man finds a woman that he finds useful or “good enough” to be his wife, he asks for permission to become engaged and married, and the woman must obey. It’s how things are. As much as we’d like to go against the way of life of people like this and as much as we’d like to tell them how this is wrong, we shouldn’t. And if we could and DID, it wouldn’t be very effective. To them, we’re wrong and they’re right and there’s not much we can do about it. It is better to not judge for the sake of not being harshly judged in returned.