Self-Control

“They were still for a time, looking at each other, united by a single thought, knowing instinctively that they understood each other perfectly. It was not hard for them to read each other's thoughts. Then Fahmy expressed what was preoccupying them: “Now we need to think about who ought to raise the topic with him....”(123).

When I read this passage from Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz, I thought this instinctive understanding was there because of the mother/son relationship. The understanding through the silence was because of the fear that the father, Ahmad, had instilled in the son and his wife. It was part of the secret alliance that the family had that did not include their father. They had a common feeling against their father so they automatic fear and resistance.
But as I thought about this quote, “read each other's thoughts”(123) I was reminded of all the other times this phenomenon is referred to in the novel, namely, when Yasin visited his mother and when Fahmy was speaking with his mother, Amina, about his marriage arrangement. After making this discovery, I realized that these types of connections are common throughout this section and among the characters in the book.
The question is raised, “Why is it so important for them to have this relationship where they can communicate without speaking? Why did Mahfouz put it in this novel?”
They need these types of connections because their cultures frowns upon a woman or a man openly communicating their inner emotions obnoxiously. The novel shows that self-control is very well looked upon in their culture. In chapter 21, the narrator tells us, the readers, that, “Only Fahmy was exemplary in his self control”(131) and “Fahmy was known for his self-control”(131). His father and his offspring, besides Fahmy, were prone to exploding. Mahfouz often says that certain characters almost “lost themselves” while becoming angry or excited in their conversation. He is saying that they were about to lose control of themselves. They have to stop themselves because, in their culture, one can't have outburst that show that one cannot control their behavior and conduct. With the conversation between Yasin and his mother, we see that Yasin has to deliberate in his mind what he will say before he actually says it. This shows that he is at least attempting to have self control. The characters have all sorts of wild thoughts, but they can't express them all, especially the women. When Yasin's mother becomes distraught because of the words that Yasin say to her, she cannot scream at him and force him out of her house. She softly expresses her feelings towards Yasin.
This passage, as well as many other excerpts from the novel show that self-control is expected among the members of the culture in this novel.