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DDebra Geary
Arab Women Novels
Where does the Strength come from?
Throughout the semester we have traveled all around the Middle East and have observed many types of women living in many types of circumstances. Most of the assumptions I had previously made have been proved incorrect. In most of the books the main characters have been strong women. Many of them are supported by their families and friends. These are women who do not fit the stereotype of an Arab woman. They rebel against the male dominated society.
This paper looks at the strong women in the novels we have read so far in the semester and what or who has encouraged these women to be strong. The paper will look at four of the novels we have covered in class, Pillars of Salt, Dreams of Trespass, Women of Five Seasons, A Balcony over the Fakihani, and In the Eye of the Sun. It will examine each woman character; these women are strong both mentally and physically. Maha for example works the land on her father’s farm while Nadia has not worked in the fields a day of her life but gets a college education and starts her own business. I will look at what makes these women strong and how there relationships with their close friends and family support them. Also, I will look at if there are any environmental or religious beliefs that would cause their strength and if the strength is necessary for survival or not.
I. Pillars of Salt
In novel Pillars of Salt Maha is Bedouin women from Middle East who has a strong personality. Out of the novels we read this semester she is the best example of a strong woman. Bedouin women are supposed to be strong, wild free spirits; their reputation exceeds the area. A Sudanese man said that “Bedouin women are like Arab mares.” (Faqir 155) Maha stands up for what she believes in and does not put up with the male supremacy neither English nor Arab. Maha isn’t a typical Western feminist. Instead of just waning female supremacy she actually does want to have a family and unlike some feminists. After her husband dies her son becomes her reason for living. She rebels against people who she thinks has wronged her, especially her brother Daffash, even though Daffash beats her. She doesn’t allow him to take advantage of her. However, she has a strong group of people who support her. The people who encourage and inspire her strength are the women in the village, her mom even though she’s dead, her father, her son Mubarak, and the twin of her soul, Harb.
Maha is aware of her strength. She accredits her strength to her mother. “My mother was responsible. She had told me not to give in to men” (Faqir 13) Maha lives by her mother’s words and this is proven throughout the novel by her rebelling against man after man, even when she reaches the asylum she resists the authorities as much as she can.
We taught of her strength very early in the novel when Maha’s best friend Nasra is raped by Daffash. In Muslim society this event is not unheard of. A male taking advantage of a virgin female. However, not very often does the best friend decide to take violent action. Maha said, “I pulled the English rifle off the wall… pointed it at my brother who pretended to be asleep.” (Faqir 11) This is in response to Nasra being raped. Maha stood up for her friend and almost killed her brother for the action. He took away Nasra’s virginity which to a non-married Arab woman is her most prized possession. In Maha’s eyes that’s something worth killing for. Maha does what her friend cannot do; which is protect herself.
Maha’s father loves Maha very much. He gives her strength and the power to make her own decisions, not only for little events in her life but in huge ones too like marriage. “My father asked, “Will you accept Harb?” (Faqir 16) This is important to note because in most Muslim families, especially, in the countryside they just marry off their daughters in arranged marriages without their daughter’s consent. However, in Maha’s case her dad decides to let her marry whoever she wants. Officially, when her dad asked did “accept” Harb to marry his daughter but really Maha had the choice. If she did not like Harb and wanted to marry someone else instead. Maha’s father would have let her. He would have supported any decision she made. Her father trusted her judgment. Therefore, her father is another source of her strength.
Daffash wants to have the farm for himself even though he does not work the farm in fact, he ignores it. Maha’s father realizes this and he says, “The land must go to its ploughman. No, plough women. The land is yours, Maha. This is my will.” (Faqir 180) Like most areas in the world, in the Middle East it is customary for males to inherit land from their fathers. So, according to tradition, Daffash should have inherited the farm. However, due to Maha’s dedication to the land and all the hard work she did to keep the farm afloat. Her father makes the decision to leave the farm to her and her son. Her father also loves Maha and does not know where she would go if she did not have the farm. If Maha had been weak the farm would not have been left for her but for Daffash. Her father thinks that she can stand up for herself and keep the farm.
Another source of her strength derives from Harb. Harb is a very compassionate and loving husband. Maha loves Harb just as much as he loves her. On Harb and Maha’s wedding night Harb can’t perform. Harb becomes extremely upset and begins to cry in fear of Maha’s reputation. Maha comes up with the idea to fake their first time having sex by taking Harb’s knife and using it to cut her finger then to sprinkle the blood on the cloth to prove that Maha is indeed a virgin. “He kissed my hand and said that he didn’t want me to suffer, that he loved every part of me, even my little finger.” (Faqir 45) Harb wanted it to be his blood on the cloth because it was his fault for not being able to perform not hers but she insists by saying that “it is my blood they are after.” (Faqir 45) This scene not only exemplifies the love they have for each other, but also the sacrifices she is willing to make for him. Also, it took strength for her to come up with the idea to fool the people of the village. She did not get upset at Harb which took strength as well. She waited along time for her wedding night and it must’ve been stressful to have her virginity on the line for such a long time.
After the death of Harb, Maha lost a great deal of her strength. She did not see the point of living. “Men say that Maha lost consciousness for three days and nights. She would not eat, drink, talk, or walk” (Faqir 116.) Soon after her friend Nasra tells her that she thinks that Maha might be pregnant. She re-finds her strength. She must live for her son so that he might become a fearless warrior like his father. Her undying love for Mubarak begins at the point she realizes that she’s pregnant. Mubarak becomes the source of her strength. One time when Daffash beat her all she thought was “I must protect my breasts to be able to feed Mubarak.” (Faqir 164) She is only concerned about living for her son.
Maha makes other sacrifices for Harb. She not pregnant yet after being married for five months. She decides to go through fertility treatment. She reacts poorly to the treatments so the other women in the village help take care of her. “Hamada took my hand and helped me stand on my frail legs.” (Faqir 93) This is another example of women solidarity. Maha’s body is physically weak and with her husband away fighting the British she needs help from the women. These women help her get pregnant, so she can bear a son for the twin of her soul. They support her while the rest of the people in the village just wonder why she’s not pregnant.
Maha spends time at home because Harb has died. Maha stands up to her brother and proclaims “This is my home and I am staying.” (Faqir 126) This occurs when Daffash told her that she has to leave because she’s already married, except that Harb is dead. She is supposed to live with Harb’s family and at this point would have been. Except, her father needed her. If her father did not live at the house she could not have lived on the farm. Due to the fact that her father is the one that allowed her to live at the farm. The farm still belongs to her father so it is his decision where she lives. However, as much as she relies her father her father needs her to tend for the farm due to his old age.
One day she decides to do Daffash a favor and fix Pasha and his guests an authentic Bedouin meal. However, Pasha’s cook would not allow her to help. So she says, “I want to give your cook a hand. I did not leave my suckling with my old father come here and to be humiliated” (Faqir 155) She asserts herself in front of this male figure even though she has never met him before. She speaks out against the Sudanese cook that thinks that she will just do whatever he says. Later she tells herself that, “If they wanted original Bedouin food they would listen to me.” (Faqir 155) The statement again reiterates her ability to stand up for herself against males. If the cook had not listened to her and given her what she had wanted she would have not done any cooking and would have just gone home and the Pasha would not have gotten his Bedouin food.
At the same dinner she realizes that she’s preparing all this food for the English. These are people who killed her beloved Harb. Maha cannot bear to even talk to them or look at the. She does the only thing she can do is get revenge in some way. It takes courage for her to face the Englishmen so with “tears running on my cheeks, head held high, I stepped forward, wretched the eagle off chest of an elderly man, threw it on the ground and stamped on it. I collected as much saliva as I could and spit on the surprise face of the English officer.” (Faqir 162) She thinks all English men are somehow involved in the death of Harb. Therefore, she harms them in the only way she knew how. She disrespected them and lets them know how she felt about what they did to her husband. Her strength at that moment came from Harb. Thoughts probably came to her mind about her love for Harb. She is a prideful strong woman that is not willing to be humiliated. Therefore, she humiliates Daffash instead. She defends Harb’s name as he would have done if she had been the one killed. This action takes strength. She did not back down against the British but fought them like her husband.
At the end of the novel Maha shows her strong will. She is supported by the other women in the village. Before Maha goes to the insane asylum, she is confronted by Daffash and the other men in the village. Then Tamam, Hulala, Hamda, and Halimeh appeared from nowhere and stood beside me.” (Faqir 216) The women in the village stand beside her. This is the idea of women solidarity. Even though the men in the village do not do anything to help Maha the women did there best to protect her from her brother. If it had just been Daffash against Maha. Maha would not have responded the way she did. She would not have fought back or if she did she would have been killed instead of beaten up. The women band together. They support Maha over their own husbands. Women solidarity is the mainly how Maha stays strong for so long. Especially, after her husband and father die.
II. Dreams of Trespass
Fatima is a young girl who is raised in a harem. She is born to both wealth and privilege. However, the walls of the harem constrict her and the women in her life. Almost all the women in the book have strong personalities and rebel against the societal norms. All these women have a strong influence on Fatima. They spread their beliefs through different methods. Many of the women mainly spread their beliefs to the younger generation. They learned that the best way to do this is in a way that interests them, like through storytelling.
Fatima’s mother is one example of the strong women located in the harem in Fez. Fatima looks up her as a role model and early on in the novel we learn about Fatima’s birth. She threw a party and celebrated as if Fatima was a male for she felt like female births should be celebrated just as much. “She (Fatima’s mother) had always rejected male superiority as non-sense and totally anti-Muslim – “Allah made us all equal” she would say. (Mernissi 9) This observation made by Fatima explains the rest of the actions Mother does throughout the novel. Mother’s strong viewpoints against males can be brought back to her mother Yasmina. Yasmina will be discussed later on in the paper.
First off, Mother is against the idea of a living in a harem. She yearned to wonder the streets. Mother encouraged Fatima’s to think along the same lines, after awhile Fatima gets jealous of Samir. Samir was able to travel with Father and Uncle. Fatima thought this is what made him think clever thoughts. Fatima realized that people “certainly became more intelligent than someone stuck in a courtyard.” (Mernissi 186) This is in reference to the fact that Samir is allowed to leave the Harem but Fatima is not. Thus, she cannot come up with the same worldly ideas due to her immobility. She then realized that “Mother was completely convinced of this too, and said that much of the reason why men kept women in harems was to prevent them from becoming too smart” (Mernissi 186) Fatima at this point started comprehended the differences between her and Samir. Fatima realized the inequality between men and women and the disadvantages caused being stuck in the harem all the time. First, by her own realization then the same idea was reinforced by her mother, which who solidified the idea in her mind. Mother was not the only woman against living in the harem. In fact, the harem was split in the middle amongst the women on who were against and who were for harem life. The women who were against living in the harem supported each other in their beliefs. Thus, allowing Mother to then spread her thoughts to her daughter.
Mother is also against many of the Harem traditions and wants to move out. Fatima’s mother and father have a healthy marriage; they both understand the importance of compromise. One important tradition in the Harem is having meals as a family, except Mother enjoyed eating a late breakfast. Thus, causing her to miss lunch. Skipping meals caused Lalla Mani to become upset. Instead of having Father become upset with Mother and force her to eat lunch with the family. “Father kept on offering compromises he not only arranged for Mother to have her own food stock, but also brought her things he knew she liked.” (Mernissi 78) Father understood Mother’s dislike for the group meals. Father also was able to arrange for his family to have occasional private dinners on the terrace. This is an example of “another peace offering that Father made to help satisfy Mother’s yearning for privacy.” (Mernissi 79) Thus, Mother’s rebellion against meals is somewhat supported by her husband. This is important because if Mother was beaten every time she rebelled against the harem ways she would not rebel for very long, in fear of getting beaten up. Father’s understanding and compromise is another reason Mother was able to express her feelings and not have to constantly follow all the harem rules.
Though a strong nationalist, Mother was illiterate and unable to read the books written by her favorite authors. So, when Mother wanted Father to read to her “Mother won Father over to read about her favorite male feminist Qacem Amin” (121) Even though father would ask her to perform requests like rub his feet or hold his hand. She would not mind because these are activities you do for one you love. The fact that he would be willing to read this book to her even though he did not approve of the topic is an example of his love for her. Though after awhile he would get upset with the writing, he still read to her because she could not read it herself. Also, his requests were not that extravagant as they could have been. Considering that Father had the complete upper hand because there is no way she could have read it on her own. He could have asked her to do something ridiculous like fix him a fancy meal or just refuse to read the book to her at all. This show of love reiterates his ability to accept her and her strong feminist beliefs.
Mother is not only for the equality of women and men and wants them both to be able to go outside the harem walls but she also thinks they should dress alike. She is very anti-veil. Mother does not believe women should have to wear a veil to go outside. Even when Fatima just went outside to the courtyard and “ran around with one of my mother’s scarves securely tied around my head, until she (Mother) noticed and forced me (Fatima) to take it off ‘Don’t you understand me? Never! I am fighting against the veil, and you putting one on?!’” (Mernissi 100) She then also proceeded to explain to Fatima her reasons against wearing the veil. “Covering your head and hiding will not help. Hiding does not solve a woman’s problems. It just identifies her as an easy victim.” (Mernissi 100) This is important to note because her statement is correct. Wearing a article clothing that hides you does not resolve any of the issues involving women equality. Father, still, is just so supportive even though he does not approve. His love for her supersedes the level of disapproval he has for her feminist thoughts. Furthermore, not only is Mother against wearing the veil. “Mother also wanted to replace the traditional women’s haik with the djellaba… which many of the nationalists’ wives had takes to wearing as well.” (Mernissi 118) Father at the thought of Mother wearing the djellaba was ashamed. He said that she would be ruining the family’s honor if she wore the djellaba. But of course “One, day Mother appeared wearing Father’s djellaba.” (Mernissi 119) Thankfully, wearing of the djellaba spread throughout Fez. But Father did not forbid Mother to wear the djellaba. Overall, Mother is a strong woman who got her strength mostly from the other women in the harem and because she has a very loving husband.
Chama is a young feminist who lives in the harem in Fez. She is a great actress and uses her acting ability for the children to see heroine plays. Throughout the novel Chama put on many performances for the people in the harem to see. “Chama would constantly stage in the plays she organized on the terrace. She would stage their lives of all kinds of heroines.” (Mernissi 105) She not only used the stories to push her feminist ideas but used the plays to help the other girls in the harem become less shy. “Chama’s theatre provided ability to, “overcome our shyness and develop some self-confidence. My normally very shy adolescent girl cousins, for example, got their change to shine when they sang in the chorus.” (Mernissi 126) Self-confidence is the first step in having more feminists; women if they have no confidence cannot stand up for themselves and fight against oppression. These stories put ideas in the children’s mind on how women of the past have overcome male supremacy. The stories were also interesting and entertaining which then caused the children not only to participate but to pay attention. The other women in the harem allowed her to put on these plays. If people like Lalla Mani did not allow the plays Chama would not be allowed to put them on due to Lalla Mani’s authority.
Chama’s acting also allowed her to express her theories on different points of history. She was not only able to express her opinion, but children like Fatima, were able to understand and pay attention to Chama’s theory. Chama has a theory on how harems were first created back in the day her theory is,“Women were very strong from running in the woods just like men… it took too much time and energy to tie up strong women” (Mernissi 43) Therefore, this theory made the children believe that before men and women were equal. So, this should be the status now. While explaining her theory “Chama would raise up her white lace qamis, so as to liberate her legs… push her rebellious red hair over her freckled face.” (Mernissi 45) The way she acted her harem theory out she was able to express the strength “Samir and I loved her story because she was such a good actress.” (Mernissi 45) She used her acting skills to persuade her story about women being too strong for men so Harem.
Chama on many occasions tried to escape the Harem, but not through the terrace like most women. If she was going to escape she was going to make sure that everyone was aware of it. There is no point in rebelling against the walls of the harem if no one knows about it. She often tried to escape out the front door. The doorman Ahmed often gets frustrated and tells Chama “I have no instructions to let the women out” But Chama would just keep on walking… and sometimes she did manage to slip out.” (Mernissi 115) Ahmed would have to go run down the street and catch her. By this point everyone in the harem would be wondering what all the ruckus was about. Mother would see Ahmed bringing back Chama and would tell Ahmed “Very soon you’ll lose your job, for women will be free to run around the world.” (Mernissi 115) Mother supports Chama’s escape. Chama is still a teenager so her feminist ideas must be supported by someone and Mother just happens to be one of those people. Also, out of the anti-harem group within the harem Mother happens to hold the highest rank amongst them. Thus, Chama gets her strength from the other women in the group. This reiterates the idea of women solidarity and how they help each other stay strong.
Tamou “was a Riffan and a war heroine,” (Mernissi 51) she came to the harem in the countryside for support and to bring her people aid. Tamou is like one of the strong women that Aunt Habiba tells stories about. Soon we learn that Tamou, “could shoot a gun, speak Spnaish fluently leap high in the air, somersault many times without getting dizzy, and even swear in many languages.” (Mernissi 53) For the women in the harem these are exciting feats. There are actions that typically only men can do. Also, the fact that she went to war is inspirational. Her strength is revealed again when Tamou came back with corpses included her father, husband, and two children. She “placed the corpses inside, and covered them with earth. She did not cry.” (Mernissi 52) The fact that she did not cry not only shows her ability to hide her feelings but also reveals that she is strong enough not to fall apart. At least not right away. Shortly after they buried her family Tamou gets sick and Yasmina nurses her back to health. Once she is healthy, Tamou starts to change things around the harem. Women start to do things they otherwise would not dare to. For example, “Women had ridden horses on the farm before Tamou, but discreetly… and they’d never really gone very far. Tamou had turned riding into a solemn ritual.” (Mernissi 67) Tamou took the act of riding typically a man’s recreational activity and has turned it into a women’s sport. In the harem they have riding competitions complete with prizes. An ability that a strong woman has is to be able to bring out that strength in others. “Tamou became a legend the moment she appeared. She made people ware of their inner force and their capacities to resist all fates.” (Mernissi 53) Her vivacious attitude and strength came from her background and her family. She came from a village of warriors and she was raised as such. If she acted like a submissive housewife she would be acting out of character. However, one does not know what would have happened if Yasmina had not taken care of Tamou. Even the strongest ones need to be cared for.
Aunt Habiba is another feminist who lives in the harem in Fez. Though Aunt Habiba is divorced and does not a powerful position in the harem. She is able to influence the children’s thoughts by her storytelling. Aunt Habiba uses her talents wisely; Aunt Habiba is a phenomenal storyteller. Aunt Habiba likes to only tell stories of heroines. In fact, all the stories that are told in the harem are about strong women. She also spends a lot of Chama which then influences Chama’s thoughts and actions. Aunt Habiba’s most popular tale is called “The Woman with Wings,” who could fly away from the courtyard whenever she wanted to.” (Mernissi 22) This story puts the idea in the children’s heads that one day they could be able to fly away and escape from the harem just like the woman in the story. Aunt Habiba also teaches the children important skills. Since, she has a lower status in the harem. She has had to learn how to take power in situations. She teaches this method to Samir and Fatima. Fatima tells the reader “Showing total disinterest to your speaker, Aunt Habiba had recently told us was one good way for the weak to take power.” (Mernissi 41) She gets her strength by the support from the other women in the harem like Mother. They do not disapprove of the type of stories that she tells.
Mother gets her strength from her own mother. Yasmina is the first generation of these strong rebellious women. Yasmina says “are we Muslim or not? If we are, everyone is equal. Allah said so. His prophet preached the same. Yasmina said that I should never accept inequality for it was not logical.” (Mernissi 26) This statement is in response to Lalla Thor who would not do her share of the housework because she came from an upper class family. However, this is the same statement that Grandmother Yasmina’s daughter, Mother, also tells her daughter Fatima only a couple pages earlier in the book. Both of them are using religion to support this idea that men and women are equal and should be treated as such. Not only men and women but people of different social status’s should both be treated equal. Due to Yasmina’s farm upbringing and her poor social status before she got married therefore she is not even the head wife. She stays on Fatima’s Grandfather’s side because “He had always found Yasmina to be quite eccentric, and had in fact needed a long time to get used to some of her habits, such as climbing up trees, and hanging up there for hours at a time.” (Mernissi 30) This shows her non traditional ways. Though she is that eccentric Grandfather loves Yasmina a great deal. One of the main reasons she is not punished by Grandfather is “what always saved Yasmina was the fact that she made Grandfather laugh.” (Mernissi 30-31) Her ability to make Grandfather laugh allows her to get away with most of the activities she gets away with. Grandfather also trusted Yasmina. “he (Grandfather) asked Yasmina to go with him for a walk in the fields, and he told her about his fears.” (Mernissi 53) Grandfather supported and loved Yasmina like Father supports Mother. Yasmina then was able to things like name a duck after the head wife. She is also allowed to do activities that most women in the harem would not be allowed to do. Yasmina also tends to be the spokesperson for the other women in the harem. The reasons for this is the same as stated earlier, Grandfather is willing to listen to Yasmina more so than the other wives, plus Yasmina is brave enough to speak to Grandfather about doing activities like washing dishes in the river.
Yasmina even taught how to overcome authority to Fatima. Yasmina told Fatima, “Figuring out who has sulta (authority) over you is the first step… that information is basic. But after that you need to shuffle the cards, confuse roles.” (Mernissi 152) Yasmina is smart enough to figure out how to get around authority in the harem. If Yasmina had not been strong she would not have been able to share this knowledge with her granddaughter. Yasmina tells Fatima this information so then Fatima can apply this knowledge so she can get around authority to so she can never feel inferior to them.
Fatima, though nine, through encouragement from her Mother, is a strong willed child. She does not succumb to men’s wishes. Samir gives her an ultimatum. Samir does not like Fatima’s new obsession with magic and becoming beautiful. He finds it rather boring he tells her that she needs to decide between there friendship and her pursuit of beauty. Samir thinks that she’ll chose her friendship over beauty considering that Fatima is only nine years old. Except, the opposite occurs, Fatima decides goes against what Samir thought she would. She tells him that he is just going to have to find new friends and that she must pursue becoming beautiful. Fatima’s mother wants her to be more rebellious. Fatima said, “Often she encouraged me to rebel, and kept repeating that relying on Samir to be aggressive for the both of us would not do.” (Mernissi 117) Her mother as well as her Grandmother, Chama, and other women in the harem encourage her to rise up against the males and not to submit to anyone.
III. A Woman of Five Seasons
Nadia is supposed to continue her college education after her marriage but her husband is not educated and does not see any reason for her to. She lives under his law for many years of there marriage. But once she starts spending more time in Western society and less time in the Arab world Nadia becomes stronger. We know from reading the novel that Ishan definitely had nothing to do with her developing a stronger personality. At least, it’s nothing Ishan does on purpose. Ishan likes his women submissive and gets fed with Nadia when she fights back and after awhile he just gives up.
Nadia was not born with a strong personality. Her parents did encourage education and for her to attend university but when it comes to her and her husband she was taught. To do whatever he wants her to do. She learns to be submissive from school, “For a whole year we’d sat on the wooden steps in front of our teacher repeating what the Arab woman had pronounced. “Fall in with everything he commands.” (Al-Atrash 96) Therefore, the only reason Nadia is obedient to Ishan is because she does not know any better.
Nadia’s husband, Ishan is a mentally abusive. He did not allow her to do many things, like go to school because he wanted her to focus on having children. After a couple of months when she did not conceive she got so fed-up and frightened that she “wished then she (I) could plant his fetus in her (my) womb with my own hands. (Al-Atrash 41) She was upset enough to want to get pregnant just for Ishan’s sake. Ishan does not allow Nadia to think for herself. Right now, Nadia is not a strong person and does not state her opinion about anything. For example, she loves to read. Ishan does not like Nadia to read at all. The quote that best exemplifies Ishan’s dislike is “Why, she thought must he always belittle everything? This book in my hand irritates him. From the first day of our marriage he’d make a point of pulling it from my hands, until at last I’d set it aside when he came into the room.” (Al-Atrash 33) This shows the power he had over Nadia. She could not even read a book without his disapproval. He even got to the point where he would physically remove it from her hands. Thus forcing her not to be able to read the book.
Towards the end of her submissive time period in there marriage Ishan said “Either you learn to drive or I’ll get you a driver. As for parking and waiting for you the way I did tonight --- forget it!” I (Nadia) stopped talking to him for two days… But that morning I started learning how to drive. (Al-Atrash 68) Ishan gives Nadia a choice, something he has not done before. She decides to learn how to drive. He allows her to think for herself for the first time since the marriage. This is Ishan’s first mistake; if Ishan wants her to remain submissive he should have never given her the opportunity to learn how to drive. Muslim women during that time period, generally, did not know how to drive, it was mostly Western women. Ishan though not meaning to has given Nadia strength because he is exposing her to the West. Soon after she learns to drive she’s realizes how controlling Ishan really is. While sitting in there house she thinks, “How did my clothes get so tight?” (Al-Atrash 69) She ponders this thought she then, “Unbuttoned them, unbuckled my belt and curled up on the sofa in my silk dress, staring into space. The atmosphere was deadly oppressive.” (Al-Atrash 69) She finally realizes that Ishan controls almost every aspect of her life. Her loosening her clothes symbolizes her loosening herself from Ishan’s grip. Ishan no longer has the power over Nadia. She is becoming her no man’s woman.
Nadia is no longer controlled by Ishan but she is learning how to use her womanly wiles to get items from him that she wants. Ishan opened a Swiss bank account for Nadia and buys her a great deal of gold. She not only decides that she wanted land instead of money but also when Ishan offered to use the money to buy land the next time around. Nadia responds by saying “Both Ihsan. The two together won’t come up ten percent. … As of now, and until you’ve done it for me, we sleep in separate bedrooms.” (Al-Atrash 79) Sleeping in separate bedrooms means no sex. Nadia is withholding sex from Ishan until he buys her land. This is act is the ultimate action for Nadia to get her way. At the time Ishan found Nadia very attractive and withholding sex is a great way for Nadia to get her land as soon as possible. Ishan during this time was traveling off and on. Ishan is leaving Nadia alone for longer periods of time. This is permitting her to think more for herself and grow as an independent woman.
During what should be called the middle period of Nadia gaining strength, she realizes the power she has over Ishan. She also realizes what she has to do to make Ishan submit to her. Nadia calls this strength her “inner person.” She has allowed this inner person to come out. She thinks about her inner person and how it has changed over time “how this inner person deep inside me has become taller, grown up, learned to attack with strength every now and then. It’s still inclined to sleep, but when it does wake, I rebel, quarrel, impose-- and Ishan submits to me.” (Al-Atrash 94) This is the first time in the novel she realizes that she’s developing a stronger personality. Ishan has no idea how to react to her. Also, Nadia likes the new inner person that is coming out she does not want to submerge her inner person anymore, she wants it to come out more and more.
As she spends more time in London, as Western thoughts to creep into her mind and her inner person appears more often. She is growing in strength she now can speak up for herself more than ever. She starts to rebel against Ishan. This time her method in rebelling involves what she’s wearing. One day on an outing Nadia was wearing a rose-red cotton dress. “You’re as beautiful as ever, Nadia,” Ishan said. “That color really suits you.” (Al-Atrash 94) This is the first time since they’ve been married that she wears rose colored clothing around him. It’s important to note that while she is wearing this color she with Ishan in London. When Nadia and Ishan first got married Ishan made a point to tell her “I don’t like rose-red,” he said, “I don’t want you to wear it.” (Al-Atrash 96) Even though rose-red is her favorite color. She obeys him for most of their marriage until now and does not wear the color. What is weird is now that she’s wearing the color his opinion of the color has completely changed. She says “Rose is my favorite color,” Ishan responds by saying “I know. It’s a transparent color. I like it too.” (97) Since when does he like rose-red colored clothing? She stands up for herself and what she likes. Ishan no longer refuses her like when he would not like her to read books. Ishan is beginning to accept Nadia’s found strength. Though wearing clothes that your husband does not approve of seems like a fairly menial accomplishment to most. However, to Nadia this is a huge step which leads to larger things. This is one of the few times in the books we’ve read where Western culture has had a positive influence on women.
Nadia learns how to fend for herself and how to resist Jalal, her old love. One night when he’s drunk. He hits on her. Nadia, instead of submitting to Jalal, fights back. At this time she realizes that Jalal only ever wanted her for sex. Her dream that a Jalal might love her for her personality is crushed. Therefore, she declares to herself that “I- Nadia al- Faqih—no one will be able to know or possess her. From this moment on I possess myself.” (Al-Atrash 108) This is a turning point in the novel. She decisively decides to not let men control her life. She takes this thought through out the rest of the novel and never forgets it.
Now that Nadia is spending more time in London she starts to make friends. One important person that she has made friends with is a co-worker of Ishan’s named Jessica. Jessica is a French business woman who has been involved with real estate, plus other business ventures. Over time Nadia and Jessica become very close friends. Nadia comes up with a brilliant idea. She told Ishan “I want to start a real estate office.” (Al-Atrash 114) Ishan thinks that she’s gone crazy; he wonders how his once submissive wife now wants to separate herself from him almost completely. If he lets her start a business she will start making her own money and she would have no need for Ishan whatsoever. Nadia tells Ishan “I was never as sane as I am now. I’ll have my own company. And the apartment you bought for me will be our first offer for sale.” (Al-Atrash 114) There is no way he can force her not to sell the apartment. The apartment is under her name. At this point I don’t think Ishan quite knows what to say. He doesn’t stop her in any way. The only question he manages to ask is what will happen to the children. Nadia comes up with a simple solution to that question. “We’ll live in London- and you’ll work in Barqais.” (Al-Atrash 115) What’s weird about this statement is Nadia does not want Ishan anywhere near her. Nadia thinks this way because she realizes that the more time she spends away from Ishan and Barqais the more independent she becomes.
Nadia finds out that Jalal gets arrested. She and Ishan have an argument. Ishan feels like his manly hood is being questioned because he is not politically active. Ishan just does business while Jalal actually fights and gets arrested. Nadia supports outward fighting for the cause. She soon finds out that Jalal has turned into an Ishan and is just doing private business but donating money. She never mentions Jalal again. Not very often do Ishan and Nadia have an argument like this. Nadia does not back down on what side she supports. This is another example where Nadia is truly no woman’s man. She doesn’t take Ishan’s side like he expects her to. This is again another example of Western society’s influence on Nadia.
Nadia has become quite the shrewd business woman. By the end Nadia as won complete control over Ishan. The reason is because she has spent much time in Europe and has adapted Western thought. She also has lived far away from Ishan for many years so she has learned how to think and live on her own. She has her own business so right now she is not even financially dependent on Ishan. Her relationship with Ishan clearly has lost its fire. They have not been living together for a number of years. So, Ishan has an affair with a woman named Angela. Except, Angela was told to go after Ishan by his business partners. So, then Ishan could be blackmailed. Ishan is unable to get the pictures. Therefore, Nadia ends up meeting with Rashid and Angela and buys them off and makes sure that the pictures of Ishan and Angela were to never be published. “I had to buy his silence. Not for your sake, Ishan, but to preserve my dignity and your image in front of the children.” (Al-Atrash 168) Ishan realizes that he has lost. Not only is Nadia completely independent but she also can handle herself in dealing with family affairs. What Nadia did is not something that a wife ever should have to do. Ishan pays for it though. He realizes he has no control, “The decision, he knew, was hers alone now.” (Al-Atrash 168) this final statement represents how the roles in the relationship have switched. Ishan messed up and now Nadia is financially and emotionally independent. She can now think for herself and is an educated business woman. She becomes self-sufficient due to her developed strength and self-confidence. She developed these personality traits because of all the time she spent in Western culture also, in spending more time with Jessica. The idea of women solidarity applies here; Jessica took in Nadia and helped her become financially independent. This is the only time in all the books we read where a Western woman and a woman from the Arab world not only become good friends but business partners. Nadia is also, the only woman we study who truly grows in her strength as time passes. For once a woman controls the marriage as opposed to the man.
IV. A Balcony over the Fakihani
This book is split up into three sections; two of the sections contain strong women in it. These women unlike the previous books are strong not because of family and friends supporting them but because if they were not they could die. Both of these women live in a time and a place of war. Death is a familiar face to them. The decisions they make must be quick and decisive because it could be there last.
A Land of Rock and Thyme
Under the first story we meet a girl named Yusra, who must be strong. We learn that water is not a common item. Daily she had to go and retrieve water, each time she left it was like a death trap. “Sometimes when our turn came sometimes an attack started, with shells falling on us like rain.” (Badr 6) Even though there is an attack occurring Yusra could not go back to her house to be protected. She had to get water for her family; this takes a great deal of courage and strength. If she had not gotten water her family including herself would die due to dehydration.
Another circumstance where Yusra shows her strength is when her mother sends her to find her grandmother and find her a car to ride in. “I don’t know how but I managed it, but I talked to him.” (Badr 16) Yusra is also Islamic and its custom for Islamic women to not talk to men they don’t know. Again, the only reason she talked to the man was because she had to. If she had not talked to him her grandmother would have gotten lost amongst the crowd.
Another example of Yusra’s strength is when Yusra and her family were going through border control and her brother was asked if he was Lebanese or Palestinian. He answered Palestinian and on the spot he was shot and killed. When Yursa saw him she, “just glanced at him, receiving such a shock her (she) feet could no longer move forward or hold up her (my) body.” (Badr 14-15) She could not bend down and touch him or make a sound or admit that she knew him in anyway. She just had to keep on moving forward. This is not as easy task for anyone. One’s automatic reaction after seeing a loved one dead is to cry out in sorrow. Yursa could not because if she did she would be shot and killed in the exact same way her brother was killed. If she had the choice she would have asked to have her brother properly buried. Thus, meaning the strength she exhibited at this time was due to need.
At the end of the novel, after her husband dies and she’s pregnant with his baby, instead of giving up and dying she decides that “I’ll try to live… to fight aginst the sadness weighing down on my soul, leading me, sometimes, to feel that I’m losing my sanity. I’ll try but it’s not easy at all.” (Badr 29) It takes strength to realize when one’s having issues. She not only admits to being depressed she fights her depression. She wants to live and get over her grief not just for herself but for her child. The cause of her strength here unlike earlier, is the idea of bringing another person into a world. Her baby is someone that she can remember her husband by. Overall, in this story Yusra’s source of strength is from within but it’s because she is forced to be strong.
A Balcony over the Fakihani
Normally in the Middle East it is customary for a man to ask a woman’s father for her hand in marriage. Men and women do not often interact enough to have established enough of a relationship for a man to propose to the woman directly. When Umar asked to marry Su’ad she said, “When I plucked up the courage to tell them, my mother gave her consent, but my father was more reluctant.” (Badr 38) She had the courage to tell her parents about the proposal because she loves Umar and wants to marry him. If she had not wanted to marry Umar her parents would not be aware of the proposal. It is important to note that her mother approves but her father does not. Normally, in the Middle East when a father does not approve a relationship it does not continue on from there. Later, Umar asked to Su’ad to join him in Beirut. “Again, my mother supported me. I packed what clothes I had, and with God’s help, set out for Beirut” (Badr 38-39.) This exemplifies the strength of the women in this moment. Because they won over her father, the quote does not even mention Su’ad father’s reaction for her to move to Beirut. Her father was probably against the move to Beirut considering he did not approve of the marriage in the first place. He has no reason to change his mind and approve her moving to a city to be with Umar.
While in Beirut Su’ad and Umar do not have the easiest life. When Su’ad gets pregnant both Umar and Su’ad feel joy for the first time in a long-time. Sometime during the pregnancy Su’ad loses the baby. During this time of distress and sadness she manages to stay strong. She does not fall apart; the book does not even mention her crying. Unfortunately this is not the last time Su’ad faces the death of a family member. Her husband Umar dies and when Su’ad goes to travel soon after “Su’ad waved goodbye to us, striving to seem like her normal self. She fought back her tears.” (Badr 80) This is another example of her strength; she looks strong and together for her children because if her children saw her crying they probably would have started to cry as well.
V. In the Eyes of the Sun
In this book by Soueif the main character Asya, though not very strong. She has many friends that what be characterized as strong women. These women include her mother and her two close friends Noora and Chrissie.
Her mother is a professor who teaches at the University in Egypt. It’s hard for women to be professors even now. To be a female professor one must possess self-confidence and just overall intelligence. One must also be strong willed or else they would not get anywhere. Asya’s father is also a professor. Therefore, they have equal intelligence levels. Obviously, her father approves of her job or else they would not be married. Both of Asya’s parents are very Western in thought, at least when it comes to marriage. “We didn’t want an arranged marriage for you. We wanted you to marry for love.” (572) The use of the world “we” means that both of her parents made the decision together. Asya’s mother is also one of the few people that put Asya in her place. When Asya has the affair with Gerald her mother tells her that she should not have cheated on Saif. When she uses her “no-nonsense end-of-discussion voice,” (569) and tells Asya that “you ought to get rid of this man and finish your Ph.D.” (569) This is the first time anyone has told her that she needs to leave Gerald. Her mother also goes to Kuwait to teach at the university there because they offer her more money. So, by the end of the novel Asya’s mother is making more money than her father. Asya’s father objected at first but Asya’s mother did not care. Her mother’s strength comes not only from her knowing her own self-worth but also from having a husband who approves of her working.
Asya’s classmate and close friend Noora also is a strong woman. She goes for whatever she wants no matter the cost but in a good way. She falls in love with a fellow classmate Bassam. Her family, however, does not approve of Bassam. Furthermore if they were to get married her father said “She would not be my daughter I would have nothing to do with her” (218) and her family would do the same. She gives up her family to be with the one she loves. Her friends are all shocked because is so close to her family. But she makes the decision and marries him. Her mother used to sneak out and see her once for awhile but once her mother got sick she stopped seeing her. It’s hard for a woman to turn away from their family and marry someone that they do not approve. It takes strength to knowingly get disowned from there own family.
Asya’s best friend is another woman with a strong personality. She is the only other person besides Asya’s mother that puts Asya in her place. Chrissie tells Asya to stop acting like she’s living in a story book and tells her to grow up. Later in the novel after she’s married to Faud and has a kid. Faud moves to Suez on a construction project to clean out the canal. However, Chrissie makes the decision to stay in Cairo with her mother because someone needs to take care of her. While Faud is in Suez he gets married. She tells Faud “divorce me. Divorce me. Divorce me.” (441) Faud does not divorce Chrissie but divorces his other wife instead because Chrissie is his first wife. Many women in Chrissie’s situation would ignore the situation and pretend that it does not exist. However, in Chrissie’s case she confronts him head on. She mot only confronts Faud but gives him an ultimatum. If he had decided to divorce her Chrissie would have accepted the divorce because she does not deserve to be one of two wives. She deserves to be the one and only wife and she knows this. Her strength comes from knowing what she is worth. She got this from not only her education but from her family. Even though her family situation was not the happiest but her parents taught her well.
Overall, the novels we covered in class all contained strong women. These women showed there strengths in different ways, some created businesses while others just struggled to be alive. While others tried to escape from the harem. Still, all the women mentioned in this paper do have strong personalities. All these women were strong for different reasons. In a Balcony over the Fakhani the women had to be strong because if they weren’t they would be dead. While in the harem their feminist beliefs were supported by other family members. Women solidarity and family support played a huge role in these women’s strength. This is true not only in the Arab world but is true all over the world.