The passage I have chosen is the following (from chapter 2, page 32-33)
I could see my father listening and nodding his head with pleasure, looking at me with a smile as if saying: "Listen and learn." I had been happy then, hoping no one could see me, so I could climb the palm tree or throw up a stone to bring down a date, singing to myself along with those chanting men. Then one evening when I'd come back to the students' hostel in Giza I saw her coming towards me, holding a basket, pretty and charming, all the joys of heaven and torments of hell that I was fated to experience hidden within her.
What had it been about the chanting I'd liked, when they recited: "As soon as He appeared the beacon of faith shone" and: "I saw the crescent moon and the face of the beloved"? But the sun is not yet set. The last golden thread is receding from the window. A long night is waiting for me, the first night of freedom. I am alone with my freedom, or rather I'm in the company of the Sheikh, who is lost in heaven, repeating words that cannot be understood by someone approaching hell. What other refuge have I?
This passage commences with the reminiscence of Said Mahran about his father, as he had just received "asylum" from the Sheikh that is asking him to repent. This passage is one of the many passages that employs stream of consciousness, as we are directed towards Said's thoughts in the form of a flashback, which shifts into him thinking about his freedom. He uses imagery and refers to his ex-wife as all the joys of heaven and torments of hell. This quote highlights the conflicting view he has of her, as he recognises that he had great moments with her, but she has also greatly hurt him. This also further develops his outer conflict with his wife, that causes readers to feel sympathy for Said, as the exposition shows him with bad intentions certainly. Additionally, it also highlights his torment and his inner conflict in the way of categorising his ex-wife, as he still recognises the happiness he felt before she betrayed her, which is why he juxtaposes hell and heaven together. The quote said by his father gives an idea of how his childhood may have been, implying it had been peaceful, contrasting to his current state of just leaving prison and feeling betrayed, increasing that feeling of sympathy amongst readers. This characterises his persistence as an individual but there is also a passage that acts as a foreshadowing for the escalation of events, as for the mention of the last golden threads on the window symbolise a last moment of light before Said plunges into his vicious cycle in the path of destruction, of both himself and others. Said personifies his freedom, saying he is alone with it. This emphasizes his feeling of loneliness, which exemplifies the beginning of his mental deterioration, as he drifts away, noticing that everything had changed and he is now fully alone in his thoughts. He further emphasizes this feeling of loneliness as even his host is unable to understand him. There is use of heaven/hell imagery a second time, in the description of the Sheikh lost in heaven, repeating words that cannot be understood by someone approaching hell. He admits his inability to understand the wise words, which characterises his drift from the possibility of redemption through religion, yet he still acknowledges that his acts are somewhat sinful as he says himself he is approaching hell. This allows the reader to be able to understand that he has lost hope in religion and that he will not envisage in going into a similar path as his father, ruling out the possibility of him ever being religious. Readers also understand his frustration, as the Sheikh gives him mystical anecdotal responses to his very tedious situation.In this moment, Said is characterised as having a lack of flexibility, as he is unable to put in effort in trying to change his cognition and perception of life and his situation, which will ultimately be his hamartia.
What had it been about the chanting I'd liked, when they recited: "As soon as He appeared the beacon of faith shone" and: "I saw the crescent moon and the face of the beloved"? But the sun is not yet set. The last golden thread is receding from the window. A long night is waiting for me, the first night of freedom. I am alone with my freedom, or rather I'm in the company of the Sheikh, who is lost in heaven, repeating words that cannot be understood by someone approaching hell. What other refuge have I?
This passage commences with the reminiscence of Said Mahran about his father, as he had just received "asylum" from the Sheikh that is asking him to repent. This passage is one of the many passages that employs stream of consciousness, as we are directed towards Said's thoughts in the form of a flashback, which shifts into him thinking about his freedom. He uses imagery and refers to his ex-wife as all the joys of heaven and torments of hell. This quote highlights the conflicting view he has of her, as he recognises that he had great moments with her, but she has also greatly hurt him. This also further develops his outer conflict with his wife, that causes readers to feel sympathy for Said, as the exposition shows him with bad intentions certainly. Additionally, it also highlights his torment and his inner conflict in the way of categorising his ex-wife, as he still recognises the happiness he felt before she betrayed her, which is why he juxtaposes hell and heaven together. The quote said by his father gives an idea of how his childhood may have been, implying it had been peaceful, contrasting to his current state of just leaving prison and feeling betrayed, increasing that feeling of sympathy amongst readers. This characterises his persistence as an individual but there is also a passage that acts as a foreshadowing for the escalation of events, as for the mention of the last golden threads on the window symbolise a last moment of light before Said plunges into his vicious cycle in the path of destruction, of both himself and others. Said personifies his freedom, saying he is alone with it. This emphasizes his feeling of loneliness, which exemplifies the beginning of his mental deterioration, as he drifts away, noticing that everything had changed and he is now fully alone in his thoughts. He further emphasizes this feeling of loneliness as even his host is unable to understand him. There is use of heaven/hell imagery a second time, in the description of the Sheikh lost in heaven, repeating words that cannot be understood by someone approaching hell. He admits his inability to understand the wise words, which characterises his drift from the possibility of redemption through religion, yet he still acknowledges that his acts are somewhat sinful as he says himself he is approaching hell. This allows the reader to be able to understand that he has lost hope in religion and that he will not envisage in going into a similar path as his father, ruling out the possibility of him ever being religious. Readers also understand his frustration, as the Sheikh gives him mystical anecdotal responses to his very tedious situation.In this moment, Said is characterised as having a lack of flexibility, as he is unable to put in effort in trying to change his cognition and perception of life and his situation, which will ultimately be his hamartia.
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