Literature of the Picaresque – Writing

Farhana Choudhury

JPeer

November 15, 2016

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Season of Migration to the North – Cover Letter
For my paper, I decided to pick a passage from the Season of Migration to the North and analyze it carefully. I developed an understanding of the context of the description of women from the village known as Sudan and the Western women that the author described explicitly through the character, Mustafa in the book. Thus, it reinforces the central theme which is the within time of modernization and advance in the education system; society still dishonored women around the world. Personally, after reading the book, the women explicitly portrayed in this text gave an insight into the culture during the colonization time. The way women projected in the book, symbolized the hardship and slightly, a hope of change in throughout the modernization of the time. By reading the book over and over again, and trying to put the quotes together to prove my point, probably was the most difficult part of the essay. One of the paragraphs I had written about the comparisons between Wad and Mustafa helped me prove my point of the essay, which was the target of women in East and West of the world and the relationships they went through which was similar to one another. I have a clear understanding of what to write. However, I still feel like I need to improve more with my ideas. I feel like the organization of the essay is where I lack, which I need to resolve soon.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0  

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 ___

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 1  

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 1 Tayeb Salih was an African Muslim who was known for his novel, Season of Migration to The North which published in 1960. He was one of the Arab world’s top novelists, who excelled giving a detailed account of what it has been like in Sudan and England during the postcolonial period especially for women. Salih portrays the sexual violence that characterizes women’s lives, whether living in the West or the East and which is described explicitly through the entire narrative. Also, Salih’s style of writing was often poetic; his descriptions were vivid. As the narrator in the story informs the readers, the level of patriarchy among the Eastern world through the description of Wad Rayess and his opinion towards women and where they stand in society. The women in the book played as victims in the colonization period. In the Western world, the three women who were in a sexual relationship with Mustafa Saeed killed themselves due to social pressure. Likewise, in The Eastern world, the subjugation of women was portrayed. Overall, women were treated same in either community while the process of modernization remained progress in the society. As the narrator mentions, “time has changed” but as one of the narrator friend indicates that in this society “women belong to men” pg 83. Salih’s description of the narrator and Wad Rayess and the women shows very symbolically towards the European colonialism to African post-colonial. During the period of the book, time of modernization was in the process of being adapted. However, traditions and cultural remained the same. Women in society were victims often exploited by men for sexual desires. With the description of Mustafa, story of Europen women based on his letters and Wad Rayess’s opinion on Eastern women, it gives an insight of what women symbolized during that period. Hence, in Salih’s novel, the description of women from the village has been very symbolic for the society that was explicit in the community which it reinforces the central theme which is the within time of modernization and advance in the education system, society still dishonored women around the world.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 5 Salih’s begins to portray the character Wad Rayyes as a man who sees women as objects which fulfill is sexual desires. He feels superior to the society. Wad Rayyes symbolizes the patriarchy in society. As Wadd Rayes says; “She’ll accept me whether she likes it or not” “Does she imagine she’s some queen or princess?” “Widows in this village are more common than empty bellies. She should thank God she found a husband like me” (Pg 81). Emphasizing that a woman should not feel superior and should lower their standards since they are widows. Wad Rayes is a character that symbolized the mentality of the society and the view of women in colonization time. It is mentioned in the text how he changes his “women” like changing “donkeys,” which is a metaphor that symbolized the character Wad Rayyes as a womanizer. The way he degrades women, tells more about the society which the narrator it is in hence, he treated women like animals after all; that was the comparison made in the book. Likewise, Mustafa was no difference from Wad Rayyes, with his illegitimate relationships with the European women. He portrays him as a hunger man searching for its “prey.” As time has changed, women role remained the same. Wad Rayyes believe he can conquer any female which indicates his audacity to gain respect in society after degrading the women. Likewise, Mustafa and his affairs, he treated women as sexual objects and had a slave girl. He used his manipulative mind and dishonesty to sleep with these women. The women were under pressure; therefore, they committed suicide. Even though Wad had no education background as Mustafa did, they both portrayed women as objects. Either in the Eastern world or the Western world, women were the target in the change of modernization.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 1 As the narrator symbolizes the modern change in which seems to struggle throughout the book, he was opposed to the forced marriage between Hosna and Wad and he appeared to have a modern thought regarding this issue. The narrator suggests that Hosna can deny the proposal if she wishes too; however, Wad says” This nonsense you learn at school won’t wash with us here.” This quote indicates that the narrative is well known to be respected and honors women’s rights. Maybe because he was highly educated, went to England and learned to appreciate the women around his time. Nevertheless, when Wadd Rayes mentions what he learn in school, won’t work here, basically means that the modern thought of women having rights to pick their partners are not intended in this society even though, things have changed through time, since modernization is not adapted in some society. Even when education systems seem to progress in the Sudan, women are explicit as sexual objects.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 3 As the role of women, the level of subjunction shown in the character of Hosna. She was a woman who was forced to get married. She was beaten by her father and brothers and ended up marrying Wadd, against her will. On the other hand, Jean Morris, who was a woman of her thoughts, did not let Mustafa manipulate her. As Wad Rayyes mentions “You’re not her father or her brother or the person responsible for her. She’ll marry me whatever you or she says or does. Her father agreed and so have her brothers”. (pg81). This quote symbolized the ownership of women. The woman had no right to have her thoughts thus; the man in the family makes the choices in the Sudan society. Jean Morris was different from the rest of the European women that was in a relationship with Mustafa. Morris is aware of Mustafa’s tricks and she provokingly defies him when he tells her he will kill her: “My sweet, you’re not the kind of man that kills.”(pg131) Upon this, Mustafa experiences “a feeling of ignominy, loneliness, and loss”(pg 131). Especially when Morris announces she will hate him until death, Mustafa feels the slave and prey of the West and the weakness of his feelings toward Morris. Women role is seen exploited as sexual objects in The Season of Migration to the North. They are needed for one’s sexual desire. They had no saying and seen as a property of Men. Even within the time, the position of women remained the same. The situation of women in search of the identity, justice, and meaning in the patriarchal society, which regards women as mere sex objects and inferior to men had shown throughout the text. Hosna as a character symbolizes the oppressed of women forced to marriage and exploited in every part of life. Nevertheless, Mahjoub tells the narrator: “the World hasn’t changed as much as you think. Some things have changed…” It seems that despite social developments in the daily life of the village it still could not capsize its traditional perspective on women controlled by patriarchy. Hosna is condemned even by village women following their male counterparts, as she refuses to marry Wad Rayyes. Despite her refusal of the marriage, she ends up marrying him and then she murders him after he raped her. In her coercive society, her actions labeled her being evil in the society, but it was, in fact, a movement of her strength. She took action, but she killed herself. Equally, Jean Morris did not let Mustafa manipulate her, she was a hard to get woman, and she knew the type of a man Mustafa was. Both Wad and Mustafa’s fear was a powerful woman, who would disapprove their personality. Mustafa murders Morris because he could not stand the fact that she degraded him and showed power over him. Same as, Wad Rayyes, who forced himself onto Hosna, who believed she would not do anything but she ended up killing him and herself.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 4 Even as time changed and education system in Sudan had changed as the narrator struggled to impact modernization thoughts to his peers, he failed. Salih portrays that even within the advance of modernization, the role of women in Sudan society remains the same. As for Mustafa’s story, it is a foreshadow of how women in the Western world treated as more so similar to the Eastern world. The three women who Mustafa had physical, sexual intercourse with killed themselves which was in the Western World. The view of women who are widows in the society of Sudan treated with no respect. Salih’s does show us that Eastern women had it worse than the Western women, however, overall with his description and the characters in the book it emphasizes the patriarchy, ownership of men and subjection of women either East or West of the world. Thus, even in different corners of the world, the offense of women remain the same.