Respect

Respect
Naguib Mahfouz creates a secretive, yet well respected character, Ahmad, in the novel Palace Walk. This character is mysterious enough to portray him to others the way he wants to be portrayed. True feelings are not enough to convince Ahmad to change his ways and find his true identity. From evidence provided by Mr. Mahfouz, research on Islamic culture, different of my classmates written opinions, and from my own opinion, I have concluded that Ahmad is composed of one main characteristic; respect.
Ahmad’s will is to obtain respect at any circumstance. In his family case, he gains respect by inducing his family to remain submissive to him. It has been this way since the beginning of the novel. Ahmad’s family consists of a wife and five children. The respect these six persons have towards Ahmad can easily be represented by Amina’s actions. Naguib Mahfouz, the author of the novel, wrote: “it had occurred to [Amina] once, during the first year she lived with [Ahmad], to venture a polite objection to his repeated nights out” (4). The author knows and lets us know that Amina is discontent with her husband’s actions, yet she doesn’t dare to object them. We have been informed that if she does, Ahmad will respond: “I’m a man. I’m the one who commands and forbids. I will not accept any criticism of my behavior. All I ask of you is to obey me. Don’t force me to discipline you” (4). Amina learns from this response that she must remain submissive, and show respect to her husband at all times; and she does.
Ignorant as she is, Amina praises her husband as a God. As the one who is right at all times, and the one who possesses the authority to do as he wishes. There is no occasion when Amina fails to show absolute respect to her dearest husband, but one time. She does not dare to disobey her husband’s commands; and the only time she does, she confesses her error to her husband Ahmad herself. It was the time of the year when Ahmad left the house for about two days. The entire family was liberated and allowed to breath without fear of Ahmad reproaching to them. The atmosphere in the house when Ahmad wasn’t home was so pleasant that it provoked Amina to disobey her husband and leave the house without his permission and supervision. On her way back home Amina suffered from an accident and was forced to remain in bed until her health was improved. Yasin assured her that they would think of something to tell Ahmad (178) so she wouldn’t get into trouble, but his attempts failed. Amina failed when the time to confront Ahmad came. She didn’t have the strength to lie and disrespect her husband.
Ahmad’s reaction can be predicted; madness will take over him and poor Amina will pay the consequences of her error. Surprisingly, we are partially wrong. Ahmad claims to be disrespected, but does not react the way anyone who has read about him would predict him to react. Tracy wrote in one of her blogs, Amina’s accidental Ahmad’s reaction, her amazement of Ahmad’s reaction. She argues that Ahmad contradicts his own actions because he doesn’t get irritated as he would when confronting a smaller incident. Ahmad is known for getting irritated when his orders are not followed, but this time he reacts as a calm person willing to move on from this uncomfortable event. He is making Amina pay for her mistake at a high prize, but not because he wants to but because of his pride. After this incident, Ahmad forgives Amina and allows her to return to her house. Amina knows that she has been lucky to be able to return home, but her husband hasn’t forgotten that she disrespected him.
Respect is something that is gained by our individual actions. It is not something that could be purchased at a corner store or that has a price. Unfortunately several people are able to obtain respect the wrong way. Like Ahmad, he is respected because he forces people to respect him. Just like Ivan wrote in one of his blog, “throughout the whole novel we see that Ahmad cares more about his authority not being questioned and people recognizing him because that fed his pride”. All Ahmad cares is being respected. He sets no limits to his actions as long as he obtains respect from others. He is selfish and puts himself before others.
The best way to understand Ahmad, if there is one, it has to be by trying to understand his background and culture. Ahmad grew up believing that men are leaders. They are the ones with the authority and the ones molding the lives of their family members. Ahmad is responsible for his family and leaves no space for judgment. Ahmad is a typical father who forces his entire family to be submissive to him. He is strict to the point where he manipulates the way his wife and children act. Ahmad shows no affection toward his own family is because he believes that if he does then they will take advantage of him. Every Muslim could understand Ahmad’s behavior because they all believe in what the Prophet (alayhis-salam ) once said: “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked about his flock”. If Muslim fathers don’t man up they are leaving space for disrespect.
Respect is the most important thing a father can look forward to from his own family. I don’t think there is a father who doesn’t seek respect from his family. Without respect anyone can feel worthless. This is the reason why Ahmad is forced to do what he does to gain respect. Personally, I disagree with the way Ahmad is. I believe he can get respect from his entire family without acting the way he acts. If he changes his ways and continues to do things different then his family would no longer fear him and will respect him for a good reason. If respect comes from a positive reason then Ahmad would enjoy it better.
There is no reason why Ahmad should act the way he is. His culture does not justify his actions because traditions are changing. Men are not as strict as they used to be a long time ago. There is nothing that justifies Ahmad’s actions, not even his strong desire for respect. If he wants to be respected then Ahmad needs to figure out a way to get respected without force.

Work cited:
Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990
Yahya. "Why Muslim Fathers Have to Man Up." Web Log post. Muslim Fathers. 12 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.


Garcia, Tracy. "Amina's Accidental Ahmad's Reaction." Web log post. Digging Even Deeper. 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .

Loredo, Ivan. "Pride." Web log post. Digging Even Deeper. 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .

Disobedient

Picture taken by Gilzee

Fahmy has been the most responsible of Ahmad’s children. “He was the only one in the family to adopt a skeptical attitude toward incantations, charms, amulets, and the amazing deeds performed by saints” (411). Being the most educated of the family, after Ahmad, Fahmy continues to pursue his beliefs until his life is taken away from him.

Fahmy had never failed to disobey his father’s orders until his patriotism took over him. At different occasions Fahmy tried to seek companionship with his family members, but always failed. He usually tried to share his beliefs and convey his message to his family members during the coffee hour, but his family wasn’t enthusiastic enough. They all believed that the war was important, but their minds were busy with other things. Yasin was busy thinking about women, Kamal with his soldier friends, and his mother trying to figure out what was really going on. Since there was nobody at home to share his thoughts, Fahmy was forced to look elsewhere. He discovered that his classmates were all he had. Fahmy wanted to be with them more than he wanted to be with his own family because he could pursue his faith without being judged.

After being confronted by his father and being told to stop distributing handbills, Fahmy continues to pursue his beliefs at his own will. There was no way he was going to give up what he had started with his classmates and easily give up and please his father by swearing on the Qur’an. Fahmy was never able to discover where he obtained the courage to reply to his father with determination and enthusiasm; “We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves for our country” (422). Amazed by his ability to confront his father, Fahmy gains more courage to continue fighting for what the freedom of his country. He sets danger aside and continues his transformation to a disobedient child. Fahmy ends the confrontation he has with his father by telling him:

“Forgive me, Papa. I’ll obey every command of yours more than willingly, but I can’t do this. I can’t. We work like a single hand. I can’t accept shrinking back and abandoning my brothers, and I don’t think you would like me to. There’s no way that life would be bearable if I did. There’s no danger in what we’re doing. Others have more exalted tasks like participating in the demonstrations in which many of them have been martyred. I’m no better than those who have been killed. There are funeral processions for the nation. Even the families of the victims shout slogans instead of weeping. What is my life worth? … What is the life of any man worth? Don’t be angry, Papa. Think about what I’m saying…. I assure you that there’s no danger in our little, nonviolent job” (426).

It is very hard for Ahmad to forgive his son and not to do anything about it because of his principles. He mentions that “[his] heart [wishes] to forgive him, but [he is] afraid he’ll think then that it’s okay to disobey [him]” (486). Ahmad is a typical father who forces his entire family to be submissive to him. He is strict to the point where he manipulates the way his wife and children act. The reason why Ahmad doesn’t show affection towards his own family is because he believes that if he does then they will take advantage of him. Every Muslim could understand Ahmad’s behavior because they all believe in what the Prophet (alayhis-salam) once told them: “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked about his flock”. If Muslim fathers don’t man up then their children will do as they wish, just as Fahmy did.

Fahmy’s disobedience is very important in the novel because it shows that emotions have no limits. Not even the most responsible of Ahmad’s children is able to control his emotions to please his highly praised father. Just like Marcell previously wrote: “Fahmy is known to control his emotions and yet … he lets his emotions take control”. Stepping up and confronting his father made Fahmy a disobedient son, but at least he got the opportunity to participate in something that he believed to be the very important. Unfortunately his life got taken away from him before his father could forgive him.

Work cited:

Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990

Yahya. "Why Muslim Fathers Have to Man Up." Web Log post. Muslim Fathers. 12 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. .

Ahmad's terrifying journey

It begins when Ahmad sets foot just outside of Maryam's mother's home. He begins slowly walking through the dark streets of the cul-de-sac, dragging his lamented body across closed stores and what seems like abandoned coffe-houses with not a single trace of life. Ahmad spotted a soldier, and this is where the author, Mahfouz, goes into the mind of Ahmad:

“He saw another soldier, not the sentry, heading toward him, armed to the teeth. What new development had brought on this treatment? Was the man intoxicated? Perhaps he had been overcome by a sudden urge to attack someone? Or was he out to plunder and loot?” (442)

He encountered the soldier and was commanded to walk the way that he was not intended to walk, and soon Mahfouz breaks his magic again; his wonderful description, into Ahmad's thoughts:

“He waded into the waves of gloomy darkness and profound silence, seeing nothing but phantom houses and hearing only the heavy footsteps that followed him with mechanical precision, as though counting out the minutes or perhaps the seconds left for him to live. Yes, he expected at each moment to be dealt a blow that would finish him off.” (443)

It's like Mafhouz is describing the surroundings in order for the reader to have an image of the place and diving into Ahmad's thoughts simultaneously. It is through Ahmad's eyes (that Mahfouz writes with) that we both can see the surroundings and what Ahmad is thinking;
“When he reached the corner of al-Khurunfush, his eyes were attracted by rays of light flashing in the darkness. He looked along the street and saw a lantern carried by another soldier driving before him an uncertain number of figures. He wondered whether the soldiers had been given orders to capture all the men they came across at night. Where were they leading them? What punishment would be meted out?” (444)
Three pages of non-stop description taking the reader into truly a character's pensive and fearful mind; this is descriptive narration. The novel is written in third person omnipotent, but the author Naguib Mahfouz goes into deep thought of his characters so zealously, that I often feel that Mahfouz is Ahmad, that Mahfouz is the one walking through the food markets and bars of Palace Walk. But one can easily distinguish Ahmad's thoughts versus what Mahfouz is describing in your head, it's just that this is all done with so much mastery and swiftness.

Did He Really Rape Her?

In this week's reading of Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz, there an interesting revelation. It had previously been obvious that Yasin had problems controlling his sexual urges. Before, he crossed the line when thinking of how to approach Zubayda. This time, he went way beyond the limit by forcing
Nur, his wife's maid, to have sexual relations with him. He definitely has problems controlling his urges, but did he actually rape her?
The following passage seems to be half Yasin's view, and the other half seems pretty neutral. Just as an alcoholic will never admit that he is drunk, and a smoker won't give up the cigarette, Yasin finds excuses to justify his actions.

His greedy appetite overcame his hesitation. He put his hand on her waist. Then he pulled her gently toward his breast. She put up some resistance and kept him from achieving his goal. Putting his cheek next to hers, he whispered in her ear, "Come to the room."
She muttered uneasily, "Shame on you, master."
Her voice rang out in the silence in a way that disturbed him. She had not raised her voice intentionally, but it did not appear easy for her to whisper or her whisper had a resonance to it, even if less pronounced than that of her normal voice. His panic quickly deserted him, both because his lust was fully ignited and because her tone lacked the protest that her words suggested. He took her by the hand as he murmured, "Come along, sweetheart."
She did not attempt to free her hand, either because she was pleased or because she was obedient. He was lavishing kisses on her cheek and neck, swaying from the intense emotional impact, in a delirium of happiness. He began to say, "What's kept you from me all these months?"
She answered him in her normal tone of voice, lacking any ring of protest, "Shame on you, master."
Smiling, he commented, "Your objections are very attractive. Make some more."
She did resist a little when they reached the entrance to the room and said, "Shame on you, master. . . ." Then, as though to caution him, she added, "The room's full of bedbugs."
He pushed her inside, whispering with his mouth at the nape of her neck, "I'd lie among scorpions for your sake, Nur." (382)

Scarleteen says “Rape is when one person wants and pursues a sexual act on, to or inside another person who does not want to participate, and who does not fully and freely consent to take part in that act. (1) In this passage, Nur seems to fit the description pretty well. It is Yasin's twisted mind that confuses the reader. He makes the reader think that Nur is being kinky. That when she says no it means yes. If there was a history of Yasin and Nur flirting in the book it would be more believable, but there was nothing before. Mahfouz also describes Yasin as being someone so lustful that the only characteristic he looks for in a woman is that she is a woman. He will engage in intercourse with any woman no matter how ugly or old. The odds are against him. In a previous essay I had mentioned that in Islam, the woman has to satisfy her husband's sexual desires no matter what they are as long as it doesn't affect someone's health. Their religion justifies that, so there can't be any “rape” in an Islamic marriage. In a marriage! Yasin and Nur had nothing going on at all, and definitely nothing remotely close to marriage. Yasin has no excuse. He raped Nur. She didn't want to cohabitate with him and he forced her to.
Yasin still has problems with his sexual urges that he has to control at this point of the novel. Hopefully, these urges won't get him in any trouble the remainder of the novel.


Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy). New York: Anchor, 1990. Print.

"What Is Rape & What Is It Like to Be Raped? Scarleteen." Scarleteen Sex Education For The Real World. Web. 03 Mar. 2010. .

Confusing Compliments

In the Muslim culture, a man has to provide for his wife, and the woman in return has to satisfy her husband's desires, all of them which do not harm her, or others. Their customs are to hide a woman's body with clothing most of the time only exposing her eyes for her to be able to see where she is going. This is done to prevent lustful thoughts in men, and it also eliminates the probability of choosing a mate based on physical attraction. To the Muslims, this lowers the chance of a divorce because marriages are nos based on the outside, but the inside (Islam the Eternal Path to Peace). But there is something in the XY chromosomes that makes men go crazy when a foxy lady walks by them. Yasin has too much of this, and has no idea of how to handle it.
About half way through the novel, Mahfouz shows us a little of Yasin's overexcited hormones. This is what was going through his head,
'Isn't it time yet, bitch? I've melted away, Muslims. I've dissolved like a bar of soap. Nothing's left but the suds. She knows this and doesn't care to open the window. Go ahead, play the coquette, you bitch. Didn't we agree on a date? But you're right to hold back ... one of your breasts could destroy Malta. The second would drive Hindenburg out of his mind. You've got a treasure. May our Lord be gracious to me. May our Lord be gracious to me and to every poor rogue like me who can't sleep for thinking about swelling breasts, plump buttocks, and eyes enhanced by kohl. Eyes come last, because many a blind woman with a fleshy rump and full breasts is a thousand times better than a skinny, flat-chested woman with eyes decorated with kohl. You're the performer's daughter and a neighbor of al-Tarbi'a Alley. The performer has taught you to flirt, and the alley has supplied you with its secret beauty potions. If your breasts have grown full and round, it's because so many lovers have fondled them. We agreed on this date. I'm not dreaming, open the window. Open up, bitch. Open up. You're the most beautiful creature ever to arouse my passion. Holding your lip between mine ... sucking on your nipple.... I'll wait until dawn. You'll find me very docile. If you want me to be the rear end of a donkey cart that you rock back and forth on, I'll do it. If you want me to be the ass pulling the cart, I'll do that. What a mishap, Yasin! Your life is destroyed, you son of Ahmad Abd al-Jawad. How the Australians gloat at your fate. Woe to me, expelled from the Ezbekiya entertainment district, a prisoner in al-Gamaliya. It's all the fault of the war. Kaiser Wilhelm launched it in Europe and I have become its victim here in al-Nahhasin. Open the window, delight of your mother. Open up, my delight...' (Mahfouz, 242)
Not much of a pick-up line, but it sure gives him a lot to talk about. When the reader takes a look at this passage the first thought that comes to mind is, “Is a woman supposed to reply positively to this?” If this isn't their first thought, it must be something along the lines of, “This is kinky.” Yasin gives Zubayda back to back backhanded compliments. He compliments the size of her breasts, but attributes it to the many men who have fondled with them. He also calls her a bitch right before calling her the most beautiful creature he has seen. Clearly, lust is a part of Yasin's life, and his religion doesn't seem to be very important to him. In the reader's eyes, Yasin might appear to be a good example of a bad Muslim.
Yasin's lustful comments to Zubayda wouldn't only confuse her during the attempt to decipher their vulgarity if she had heard them, but they also confuse the reader about his faith and his effectiveness. Yasin's XY chromosomes are way out of tune, and in order to get to any woman's heart, he is going to have to tone it down, and be aware of what he is saying.




"Marriage in Islam." Jannah.Org :: Islam the Eternal Path to Peace. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .

Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990

Serious

On page 127 a woman comes and talks to Amad about Famhy and how well and outstanding he has become. She says, "Fahmy, sir, is a fine young man. He has gained favor with you through his seriousness, success in school, and good manners, may God protect him from the evil eye. Perhaps he has entrusted his request to me hoping that his status with his father will be an argument on his behalf". (pg 127) The part that caught my eye the most in this passage is how she begins to describe Fahmy. Instead of saying something like he has an outstanding career path going, she tells him about his c and I wonder why the first thing to be mentioned is how serious Famhy has become? Why is it important at all that he has become serious? Since we have been going through the book I have come up with a great theory of my own. I believe that the reason everyone else mentions his seriousness is because they know that that is what his father praises the most in a young man, and that he feels if a man is not more serious as he gets older then he is not a man. Like the rest of the quote said by telling Amad that his son is more serious has earned him a hire standing with his father. Now instead of treating him like a child who knows nothing Famhy can now be seen as a man in front of his father. But it is wired because in our culture we like to see that a child has matured a great deal, but for them to be completely serious is not what our parents require that we become in order for us to gain a higher standing with them. When people talk about me they never mention how serious I am, they always praise that I am a talented athlete or that I have grown so much, but they have never just told my parents that her seriousness has increased. That's why it is shocking to me that the first thing this lady wants to say to Amad is that his son has more seriousness.

Poetic Writing

In chapter twenty six of Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk, Mahfouz's almost poetic language begins to pull the reader in. He starts mixing in long sentences with shorter sentences, and even uses dialogue. This is the first chapter in which the reader can actually feel present in the scene.
In this passage, Mahfouz writes about how simple it is to disrespect the man of the house, and the magnitude of being disrespectful to the man of the house.

Aisha had anticipated what would happen even before the matter was presented to her father. All the same, she had nourished a glimmer of hope in her dreams, like one of us tempted by the hope of winning first prize in a major lottery. At first, influenced by the generosity that comes with victory or happiness and by affection for her unlucky sister, she had been willing to object to getting married. Now her generosity had faded away and her affection had dwindled. Nothing remained but resentment, anger, and despair. There was not a thing she could do about it. This was her father's will and she could not criticize it. All she could do was submit and obey. In fact, she had to be happy and content. To be despondent would be an unforgivable offense. To protest would be a sin her conscience and sense of etiquette could not allow. From the intoxication of bounteous happiness that had elated her night and day she awoke to despair. How gloomy the darkness seemed coming immediately after dazzling light. Thus the pain was not limited to the current darkness but was doubled many times over by regret for the light that had vanished. She asked herself why, since light had been able to shine for a while, it could not keep on shining. Why should it die out? Why had it died out? It was a new regret to add to the others – drawn from memories, the present, and dreams of the future – that sorrow was weaving around her heart. Although she was sunk in thought about this and it dominated her feelings, she wondered again, as though for the first time, whether the light had really gone out. The bitter truth seemed to be bombarding her emotions for the very first time. (159)

What really catches the reader's eye is the detail and the similes and metaphors. The reader could understand that it was a severe action to disrespect the man in the house, but in this passage Mahfouz puts the reader there and the way he delivers this message is like a boxing match. He throws some jabs, short sentences, and the he throws right and left hooks along with uppercuts, long sentences, to know the reader out of his chair. The combinations he is throwing could not be put together any better, and the questions he asks are the knock out blows to the reader's kidneys. When he takes the gloves off, he picks up a T-square and a pencil, and like an architect begins drawing up masterpieces to be created in the reader's imagination. With words like dazzling, intoxication, bombarding, and bounteous, Mahfouz builds skyscrapers with the sharpest edges, and cathedrals with the most detailed cupola.
Mahfouz describes the situation exceptionally well, and if the rest of the novel is like the passage above, the reader will really enjoy reading it.

A Million Possibilities

In his novel, Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz writes in a descriptive but un-revealing manner, which leaves things up for numerous, strange, interpretations. Of course, if the reader is following the book, it isn't very hard to interpret. If the reader sets the novel down and later continues reading from where he left off, he might be a little disoriented by what he is reading. Even though this appears to take away from the novel's meaning, the reader can enjoy this experience and actually grasp the author's point.

One such passage where the reader can step into a world not related to the book's meaning is in chapter ten when Mahfouz writes,

Fahmy watched her appear and disappear until no clothes were left to separate them. She faced him, her small hands rising and falling, her fingers slowly and deliberately grasping and releasing what she held, as though she was dragging out her work on purpose. His heart guessed it was on purpose, although he was torn between doubt and hope. He did not fight his feeling of being liberated to the farthest horizons by his happiness. He was conscious of nothing but dancing melodies. Although she did not glance up at him, her demeanor, the blush on her cheeks, and her avoidance of looking at him all betrayed how intensely conscious she was of his presence, or the impact he had made on her feelings. (59)

What he is describing is Maryam doing laundry. But for the reader that set down the novel, went grocery shopping, and then once again engaged in reading, this could mean a ton of things.
The first thought that comes to mind is that Maryam is doing magic. With her disappearance and reappearance, she reminds the reader of a Harry Houdini, and with the grasping and releasing of objects, she reminds the reader of Carrot Top. And even though it is far fetched because of his age, Fahmy could really be enjoying this magic show. Another thought that can go through the reader's mind is that Maryam was in the fitting room trying on dresses. This is less of the possibility especially once the time period and location are taken into account. But when the reader is discombobulated, anything can happen. And even though the list goes on and on, the most obvious one is sexual intercourse (I won't go into details).

This possibility makes the most sense and it is so plausible, that it can be the hidden message. The statement previous to this passage says, “No fear is able to spoil love's development or keep it from dreaming of its appointed hour.” (59) This says that love has no barriers and no matter what is in the way, love, especially young love, will always prevail. How can you jump from love, or making love, to doing the laundry? Mahfouz, intentionally included this sexual allusion to keep the reader on his toes and ready for what lies ahead.

This goes to show that not just this passage but every other in this novel, and in every other novel, can have a double meaning, you just have to be distracted enough to catch it.