Continuing on from page 59 in “Season of Migration to the North”, “Effendi” our narrator reverts back to describing in detail how his grandfather’s behaviors and memories have been instilled in him. Everything down to the scents around him, his constant praying, even his pray beads and how he constantly plays with them. These descriptions bring me back to a discussion we had in class about how even though one may die, their legacy still lives on in you through memories, and so forth.
I was quite surprised to read about the grandfather and his elderly friends discuss their intimacies with one another so loosely, being a part of such a conservative culture that frowns upon “uncircumcised European” women; especially since these discussions also took place in front of a lady and a grandson.
We do get a better understanding on how their culture works as far as divorcees and widows are concerned. It becomes clearer that it is quite common for a brother or a cousin to take on a deceased husband’s wife and children to “better care for them and treat them well”. Being that the “effendi” is technically in charge of Mustafa’s wife, one of the grandfather’s friends would like to ask for her hand in marriage, yet this proposal infuriates him! Could it be because he feels ashamed that a man 40 years her senior wants her hand? Maybe it’s because he wants to swoop in and marry her to care for her and the children in order to carry out a promise to Mustafa? I guess we’ll just have to keep reading to find out!
I don’t believe Effendi frustration came from him wanting to marry Hosen himself. I believe he was frustrated with his grandfather for even suggesting that a womanizer like Wad Rayyes should marry Hosen to look after her, just because he is well off on money. Mustafa had asked Effendi to look after his wife and child with care and respect, and entrusted him with this task because he believe Effendi was the best for it. Handing over Hosen to Wad Rayyes who does nothing to value women but to seduce them and later leave them, would be betraying Mustafa’s trust in him. His grandfather, knowing the type of person Wad Rayyes, still tries to convince Effendi to ask Hosen hand in marriage for Wad Rayyes, which in turn frustrates him. Asking him to put in a good word for Wad Rayyes knowing the type of character he is and how he mistreats women would also say something about Effendi’s character as well. It is more upsetting to be asked such a question after hearing the conversation between Wad Rayyes, his grandfather and their friends on how they deal with their relationship. Why should he ask Hosen to marry Wad Rayyes when he knows he only doing it for his own selfish reasons? When he knows once hes done having his fun, he will divorce her like all the others and leave her to care for her own.
Agreed! This also crossed my mind, but silly me didn’t write it in my blog. I definitely feel as if it was the age as well as the womanizing ways of Wad Rayyes. Very valid point.