Charity

Martine and Philippa, the two sisters of the Babette’s Feast, have been raised to have good morals. “Their father had been a Dean and prophet, the founder of a pious ecclesiastic party or sect, which was known and looked up to in all the country of Norway” (21). Both sisters not only have a well known father, but also the respect from the people in their community.
Even though Martine and Philippa have money, they live a normal life. They do have a young girl who comes and cleans their house for a fair amount of money, but that is about they only do this to help the youngster out. This is not the only good thing these two girls do for charity; both girls give Babbete shelter.
Babbete had fled from France due to the civil war that was taking place. She didn't have anything but the clothes she was wearing. The sisters decided to give her shelter and help her out. They did have their doubts about Babbete, but little did they know that Babbete was as amiable as they were.
I believe that Babbete was a recompense for all the good things that the sisters have done in hte past for others. Thanks to Babbete, they were able to learn new things, and most important of all, lean how to trust.

Dinesen, Isak. Anecdotes of Destiny ; And, Ehrengard. New York: Vintage, 1993.

Making Better Decisions

The Gods have chosen Shen Te because she is a good person. She has proved that she is not selfish by putting others before herself. She feeds rice to the poor, provides shelter for people who treated her wrong, and lends money to those who ask for it. All of Shen Te’s accomplishments are not enough because she can’t manage to have a successful life.

It seems that Shen Te is well respected in the district she lives in because of what she does for the rest of the people that live there. Every day, she feeds rice to those less fortunate and has gained the name of the Angel of the Slums (41). Feeding those who are less fortunate has gained her some respect from people like the barber, Shu Fu, but not from everybody. When Shu Fu discovered that Shen Te was about to lose her Tobacco shop he immediately offered to help without asking for something in return. He first let her know that he was aware of the unfairness behind her losing her shop, then made sure Shen Te knew that he respected the way she sacrificed herself for others, and then Shu Fu offered a blank check to her disposal (73). This check was the solution to keeping her Tobacco shop, but it wasn’t what Shen Te wanted.

Even though Shen Te is about to lose her Tobacco Shop, she faces other people’s problems. Wong, the water seller, came up to her for help. The Carpenter had lost his shop, was drinking, and his children were on the streets (75). Shen Te quickly finds a solution to the Carpenter’s problem. She manages to find shelter for the Carpenter’s family at Mr. Shu Fu’s cabins, but gets nothing in return. Shen Te’s personal problems are still active. The Carpenter is not going to worry about Shen Te losing her Tobacco shop, nor is going to compensate her for finding him shelter.

Another occasion when Shen Te tries to help others, even if she is not helping herself, is when she gives Yang Sun money. She knows that Yang Sun needs her money to be a pilot again, and she is willing to lose her shop to help him out. There is nothing more she wants than seeing her loved one’s dream come true. Shen Te knows that Yang Sun only wants her money because he confessed to Shui Ta that he was aware of the influence he had over Shen Te.

Yang Sun: “Shen Te is a woman: she is devoid of common sense. I only have to lay my hand on her shoulder, and church bells ring. (56)

What Yang Sun doesn’t know is that Shen Te is aware of his intentions, but knowing Sun’s intentions will not benefit Shen Te.

Shen Te’s good spirit only affects her because she is not doing anything to help herself in the long run. She is not benefiting from all the great things she does to help others. What she needs to do is bring out the Shui Ta she has deep inside herself. If she does, Shen Te will have the strength to make decisions that will make her better off.

Work cited: Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman of Setzuan. New York: Grove, 1947. Print.

Chosen by the Gods

Shen Te was chosen by three Gods to change her ways from being a “pauper” (28) to being a good person. She has some money to her advantage to carry about her change, but it is not easy because society is not able to leave Shen Te’s past alone.
Throughout the play, Shen Te shows enthusiasm to achieve what the Gods expect of her. Instead of spending the thousand silver dollars the Gods gave her, Shan Te decided to invest them on a tobacco shop, which makes her an easy target for the people in town who are desperate due to the economy crisis. Before the grand opening of the store, Shan Te already had an entire family begging for hospitality.
Wife: “Shen Te, dear! You’ve come into money, they tell me. And we haven’t a roof over our heads! A tobacco shop. We had one too. But it’s gone. Could we spend the night here, do you think?
Shan Te couldn’t say no. Not too long after, an entire family invaded Shan Te’s tobacco store.
Another case were Shan Te’s kindness was abused was when the carpenter showed up. The carpenter was charging Shen Te for the shelves in the tobacco shop, even though Shan Te claimed to have purchased the tobacco store furnished.
Shan Te told the carpenter: “I took the shop “furnishings included.” (15)
The carpenter replied: " You’re in league with that Mrs. Shin, of course. All right. I demand my hundred silver dollars" (15).
Shan Te was left with no option but to pay the carpenter. Even though Shan Te wasn’t treated the way she was supposed to be, she still felt sympathy for the carpenter. She mentioned to the wife: “He’s done a job, and wants something in return. It’s shameful that I can’t give it to him. What will the God’s say?
Shan Te has changed completely. She takes into consideration the three Gods that have helped her overcome being a prostitute. It seems like these three Gods are the only ones that trust Shan Te can overcome her terrible past because the rest of the people don’t.

work cited: Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman of Setzuan. New York: Grove, 1947. Print.

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. .

Unfair

It is a dull day at Ahmad’s house; Kamal is alone on the roof while his older brothers are in the study. What a long boring day with nothing of interest to do, and it’s all because of the English. Fahmy, Kamal, Al-Sayyid Ahmad, Zaynab, and Amina have enough patience to endure the entire day without committing insane actions, but not Yasin. He is not able to tolerate staying home without allowing his blinded lust to take over him and force him to commit adultery.

Towards the end of the day, every individual took over a space in the house, but Yasin. Instead of remaining by Zaynab, Yasin is forced, by his boredom and disappointment of having to spend his evening in his house and not the coffeeshop, to escape to the roof of the house. He asks himself, “Why am I so restless, disgruntled, and bored, finding nothing in her beauty [Zaynab] or culture to tempt me to postpone getting drunk?” (378). At this point Yasin feels betrayed by the mentality of marriage he used to posses; marriage is nothing like he had dreamed of. He is at the point where he is realizing that one wife cannot tranquilize his desire for sex. Once Yasin gets on top of the roof, he begins to daydream about the good life he used to have before getting married. Alcohol, women and sexual desire take over his mind. Unfortunately, Nur, Zaynab’s black maid, becomes his victim.

“Suddenly and unexpectedly, and inclination to assault her exploded within his breast like fireworks going off without any warning. This was a forceful, dominating lust. The whole point of his life seemed to be concentrated in it. It got control of him just as it had the night of Aisha’s wedding, when he had seen Umm Hanafi in the courtyard as he was reaching the threshold. His languid being was permeated by a bubbling new life. Restless desire spread through his veins, electrifying him. His ennui and boredom were replaced by an insane, raging, hot interest” (380).

Nur did not bother to scream and let other members of the house know what was going on like Umm Hanafi. “She did not attempt to free her hand, either because she was pleased or because she was obedient” (382). The real reason will remain a mystery because she decides to run away the day after she gets caught naked with Yasin in her room by Zaynab. News quickly reached Ahmad, who takes them as lack of respect for his house. Nur is a black maid in her forties; how could Yasin do this, and in the same house where his wife lives?
Yasin’s actions are not justified, but by his father. Ahmad knows that Yasin made a mistake by committing adultery in the same house where his wife lives, but he also understands that when lust overcomes you there’s no way to escape form it. Instead of blaming Yasin, Ahmad blames Zaynab. Without sympathy, Ahmad criticizes Zaynab’s reaction. According to him, “it was not appropriate for a good wife to implicate her husband in a scandal as she had, no matter what the circumstances… Yasin had made a mistake, but she had made an even greater one” (389). It was okay for Yasin to commit adultery and not okay for Zaynab to get mad about it.
Zaynab had started to be more submissive to her husband. She allowed him to leave the house every evening and come back home drunk, but she was not going to tolerate him cheating on her with a black maid in her forties. Even though she was pregnant and “looking forward to the proud status of motherhood” (386) Zaynab decides to leave the house. She is different from other women because she is able to set a limit on the things that can be tolerated. Ahmad can protest and complain about Zaynab, but I give her all of my respect. Not many women own the courage to leave their husband’s house without being kicked out. Zaynab can be compared to the author of the article My Four Husbands and I because both have the courage to go against the beliefs of the rest of the people. In the article, Nadine Bedair wrote about encouraging change in marriage. Here is the first paragraph she wrote:
"Allow me to choose four, five or even nine men, just as my wildest imagination shall choose. I’ll pick them with different shapes and sizes, one of them will be dark and the other will be blond. ... [T]hey will be chosen from different backgrounds, religions, races and nations” (1).
Both, Bedair and Zaynab have a great point that could lead to equal rights for both men and women.
Marriage is something that every young person desires. Even though every person has a different view of marriage, everybody dreams marriage to be perfect. In this case, Yasin kept dreaming about the perfect marriage, and when it arrived to his hands he wasn’t able to make good use of it. He cheated and ruined his marriage, yet he didn’t pay for the consequences at a full price. Zaynab, the innocent, was the one that was blamed by Ahmad with no real reason. She is accused and forced to be seen as the one doing things wrong.

Hard to Understand

Al-Sayyid Ahmad, like any other ordinary father, wants the best for his daughters. He wants them to be protected from evil and to have a prosperous life. To bring this about, Ahmad uses his power to stimulate fear in both of his daughters, Aisha and Khadija. This fear, which has become Ahmad’s best tool to compel his daughters to respect him, has made it extremely difficult to understand why Aisha and Khadija love their father blindly. To get a better understanding of this love, I had to take into consideration their culture.
Until this point of the novel, Ahmad has proven that he is not an affectionate father. He is strict and doesn’t tolerate any approach made by any of his children to disobey his orders. It is true; most of the rules and attention in the house are directed to the boys, but this doesn’t mean that both Aisha and Khadija are being left out. Both daughters are forced to remain inside their house isolated from the rest of the world. The rules that apply to them are simply to not let any stranger see them and to learn to do the duties of the house so when marriage comes around they are prepared. When their father is around, both daughters’ heart begins to beat faster from the fear that Ahmad provokes among them. They behave like a puppy behaves when he sees his cruel master approaching. The amount of fear these girls feel towards their father cannot be compared to the love they have for him. At the end of the day, no matter what cruelties their father commits, they will continue to praise, respect, and love him.
To understand this blinded love one must take into consideration Aisha and Khadija’s culture. They are female Muslims, which means that they believe men must protect them. If they are not protected, they are considered tarts. In their culture “the role of a father in his daughter’s life is pivotal: he is the first man is her life; the one who teaches her what he, a male, thinks of her, a female; and thus shapes her sense of self-worth in the eyes of other men” (1). Ahmad has confessed to us by telling his loyal friends:
“You ask me about fathering females? It’s an evil against which we are defenseless, but let us thank God. In any case, it’s a duty. This is not to say that I don’t love my daughters. In fact, I love them as much as I do Yasin, Fahmy, and Kamal, each equally. But how can my mind be at rest when I know that I will carry them to a stranger one day. However attractive he may seem on the outside, only God knows what’s inside him. What can a weak girl do when she’s faced by a strange man far from the supervision of her father? What will her fate be if her husband divorces her one day, after her father has died? She must take refuge in her brother’s house to endure a life of neglect. I’m not afraid for any of my sons, no matter what happens to them, he’s a man and is able to confront life. But a girl… my God preserve us”. (263)
Ahmad means no harm by being strict to his daughters; he just wants to prepare them for their future. He wishes marriage wasn’t an option and that he could keep protecting his daughters, but he knows that his wish will not happen therefore all he can do is teach them to be submissive.
After reading more about the relationship between father and daughters in a Muslim community, I was able to understand why Aisha and Khadija love their father. They are aware of his cruelty, but continue to admire him. After all, thanks to Ahmad they are well respected by the rest of their community. If Ahmad shows affection, his daughters will grow weaker and will suffer the consequences once they encounter marriage.


Work cited:
(1) Zainab. "Like Father, Like Daughter." Web log post. Because Muslis matter. WordPress & Mimbo Pro, 03 Mar. 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://muslimmatters.org/2009/03/03/like-father-like-daughter/>.
(2) Mahfouz, Naguib. Palace Walk. New York: Anchor, 1990
(3)Photographer: Old Shoe Woman

There are no limits

In my Mexican culture, spouses are obligated to bestow respect to their other half. I have seen this in my grandparents, parents, and sister. It is for this same reason that it’s hard for me to understand the way marriage is portrayed in the novel Palace Walk. Egyptian Muslims portray marriage as a symbol of power, the ability to support a family financially. Once married, women are kept trapped in the walls of their houses without permit to leave the house unsupervised by their husband. Women must also be submissive to their husband to the point they would almost worship them as their God.

Amina is an exemplary example of a married Muslim woman. She is submissive to her husband to the point where she believes the fear he kindles in her is nothing but love. There is no other place she wishes to be at, but by her husband’s side, Mr. Ahmad. His companionship gives her strength to make of her life a better one. For a fact, he is the reason why she no longer needs an alarm to awake her at the middle of the night to wait for her dearest husband arriving from late night partying. Amina does not care if she has no input in any of the decisions her husband makes. She is not bothered if Ahmad arrives home past midnight, half drunk, and with an attitude that proves he enjoys spending time with his friends more than spending time with her. Above all this, Amina shows her husband that he is a successful man by making her opinion whatever he wishes it to be.

In one occasion, while Ahmad was drinking coffee, Amina informed him that one of Fahmy’s friends had asked for a request to become engaged to Aisha (154). Furious Ahmad awoke and made his disapproval clear. He was not going to tolerate his younger daughter marrying before his older daughter. Ahmad then asked Amina for her opinion. She responded saying that her opinion was the same as his and that she had no opinion of her own (156). This proves that Amina is not brave to share her own opinion with her husband. Her opinion was the opposite of Ahmad’s. She would gladly accept the proposal the officer had made to marry her younger daughter Aisha. Even though she knows she has an opinion of her own, she refuses to let Ahmad be aware of it. She knows her husband well, and knows that it’s best to do anything that will keep him satisfied.

Another occasion that proves the blind love Amina has towards her husband is when she fails to lie about the incident she suffered. Every member of the house was ready to make up the incident their mother had rather than confessing the truth to their father. They were going to hide the fact that while he was gone, Amina had disobeyed him by leaving the house to visit her master al- Husayn. All the children, the servant, and Amina planned to tell Ahmad that she had fallen down the stairs. This would keep Amina out of trouble and would bring her husband’s pity towards her. Amina was convinced to be able to lie to her husband and keep her secret well hidden, but once she faced her husband, her enthusiasm to lie vanished. Amina pleaded for strength to keep her secret, but was defeated by her husband’s amazement and increased tone of voice. She had no other option but to confess. Once she confessed that she was “struck by an automobile” (183), Amina “could no longer bear to hesitate. She resolved to give a complete confession, no matter what the consequences. She was like a person who risks his life in a dangerous surgical operation to get relief from a painful disease he can no longer endure” (183). This is how far her devotion to her husband goes.

I’m not stating that lying to a husband is something positive. I know is not, but a wife should not be afraid to tell the truth to their own husband. This case is very complicated for me to understand since it’s another culture. I believe Amina, and other Muslims, have no trouble admitting that it is okay for a woman to fear their beloved and honorable husbands. Their beliefs allow them to force themselves to be submissive to an extreme degree.

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

Two personalities

In the novel, Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz, we are first introduced to the devoted Amina. She is a housewife who praises the Qur'an, as well as her husband. Everyday she makes sure the house is clean and in the condition her husband likes it to be. Until now, there is nothing bad to mention about her because she is always on top of things. In the contrary, her husband, Mr. Ahmad, is nothing but a brutal human being who over uses his power on his family. He is portrayed as "so wealthy, strong, and handsome" by his wife, but there is only a small amount of trust we can give to a devoted wife like Amina. She only speaks positive about him. The person we can give more trust to is Mr. Ahmad himself.
While he got a visit from shaykh, we got a better sense of his personality, or personalities. We discovered that Mr. Ahmad, in fact, does have the ability to show respect towards others. He praised the shaykh and only spoke when the shaykh addressed him (38). Mr. Ahmad exposed himself opposite from he was at home. As the narrator wrote:

“The truth was dreaded and feared only in his own family. With everyone else- friends, acquaintances, and customers- he was a different person. He received his shared of respect and esteem but above all else he was loved. He was loved for the charm of his personality more than for any of his many other fine characteristics. His acquaintances did not know what he was like at home. The members of his family did not know him as others did? (36).

Nobody, but him, is aware of these two personalities he is good at hiding.

Mr. Ahmad opens up a mystery about his culture. Is it the same situation for every men, or is he the only one? We cannot answer this question, at least not yet. What we do know is that Mr. Ahmad is aware of the situation he is. He knows that he is feared at home and loved once he leaves his house.

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