Ahmad Al Jawad or Al-Sayyid (“Lord” or “Master”) as he is known is a successful middle-class merchant. With three sons, two daughters and a loving, submissive wife, Ahmad has everything a man could want—wealth, respect and family. However, the respect that his family feels for him has been acquired by instilling fear in each member of the family. Al- Sayyid is the epitome of tyranny when it comes to dealing with his family. He restricts his wife and two daughters to a life of confinement- for fear that some man will see the faces of his women and often subjugates his sons to harsh tongue lashings and manages to instill fear of him in them. Because of this none of his family members have ever rebelled against him.
The whole family atmosphere becomes tense when Ahmad is in the house and remains that way until the family dictator leaves his home. Unless there is a serious issue, Amina, his wife does not tell her husband about her children’s misbehavior, lest Ahmad’s anger unleashes itself on her children. Every afternoon, Al- Sayyid’s children, Yasin--Ahmad’s eldest from a previous marriage--Fahmy, Kadija, Aisha, Kamal and their mother get together, during their “coffee hour” to gossip and talk about the day’s happenings freely- without any fear of their father. Nevertheless, even in those private moments shared between the mother and her children, nobody curses their father in any way.
It is said that “Islam divide[s] women into two categories, those who [are] secluded and safe and those who [are] public and sexually available.” (Bennett 150) Ahmad believes that these two categories of women should never interact, regardless of the importance of each category to men. Despite his show of piety at home, Ahmad leads another life outside. Most of his nights are spent indulging in wine, women, and merrymaking with his friends. Known for his pleasant, humorous nature, Ahmad was considered the soul of many parties. Every night, after work he would entertain himself by getting drunk and indulging in provocative women. Because of his unquestionable authority over his family, no one dares question his late night outings.
Amina and her children never suspect that the stern, scary patriarch could also be a funny, loving man whose list of sins included adultery. However she did know that he got drunk every night. Unable to convince her husband to stop sinning, Amina learns to “adapt to everything... in order to escape the glare of [Ahmad’s] wrathful eye. It was her duty to obey him without reservation or condition. She yielded so whole heartedly that she even disliked blaming him privately for his nights out. She became convinced that true manliness, tyranny, and staying out till midnight were common characteristics of a single entity” (Mahfouz 4). The traditional mentality that women were inferior to men makes Amina bow to Ahmad’s whims and desires.
However, the beginning of the Egyptian revolution marks the beginning of rebellion within the Al Jawad family. As Yasin and Fahmy mature into young men, they set their eyes on different women. Yasin, who got a job in the government, enjoys his evenings by lusting after every woman he encounters. “Even when his eyes were wide open, love for him was nothing but blind desire” (Mahfouz 72). However, Yasin does not approach most of these women. As time passes, Yasin sets his eyes on Zanuba- a lute player who was ‘extra-desirable’ because of her beauty. He then goes on to have sex with her, however, one night, he finds out that his father- the honest, religiously strict man was committing adultery with Zanuba’s teacher. For the first time, Ahmad’s family has a hint of what he is up to every night. However, Yasin does not tell his mother or sisters about the incident, and instead begins to relate more with his father. The fear that he has of the father of his childhood diminishes and he aspires to become like his father. Yasin becomes proud of his father and learning of his father’s popularity respects him more.
However, Yasin shows that he does not have as much control over his sexual desires as his father, and rapes the servant, Umm Hanafi, a forty-year old woman. Ahmad, furious at Yasin’s behavior, realizes that his son did not grow up to be an upright man and is shocked that his own son could stoop to such a level so as to rape a servant who had served the Al Jawad household for so long. In order to punish Yasin and to make sure he did not commit any more crimes of that sort, Al- Sayyid decides to get Yasin married. He made an agreement with one of his friends, and his friend’s daughter, Zaynab, was soon a member of the Al Jawad family- forced into living a strict, confined life. Privately, Ahmad is amazed that his son is so similar to him even if he did stoop down to a servant’s level.
Fahmy, Ahmad and Amina’s first son, falls for his neighbor’s daughter, Mariam after seeing her from his balcony. Too frightened to ask his father himself, Fahmy begs his mother to ask his father to ask for Mariam’s hand on his behalf. Ahmad vehemently disagrees and Fahmy, because of his fear of his father, decides to hold off till he grows older. Never being able to talk back to his father or press him to give in, Fahmy’s fear of his father took over all his other desires. When news of S’ad Pasha’s exile reaches his household, Fahmy decides that he belongs in the demonstrations that were taking place in the streets of Cairo. His father had however clearly stated that even though he supported the revolution, he did not want any of his sons to be involved in it. But, Fahmy decides that the revolution is his calling. Nevertheless, being the coward that he is, he flees the moment there is gunfire and does not tell anyone about his decision. Even with the fear of death, he continues to take part in the demonstrations, and joins the supreme committee of the revolutionary movement. However, he keeps to the rear end of the processions and hides the moment violence erupts.
At one point, when all four Al Jawad males go to the mosque to pray, they are confronted by people who accuse Yasin of being a spy for the British, however, one of the leaders of the “freedom fighter” recognizes Fahmy as one of them and the claim against Yasin is dropped. When they reach home, Ahmad, angry that his son was a “freedom fighter” confronts Fahmy and questions him on his involvement in the revolutionary movement. “Although Fahmy had grown accustomed during the past few weeks to confronting various dangers…. it was his pre-Revolutionary heart that surfaced once his father began interrogating him. He was terrified and felt reduced to nothing” (Mahfouz 420). So, Fahmy conceals as much as possible from this father, promising that all he was doing was distributing pamphlets asking people to support the revolution. Al-Sayyid, who felt that “any member of his household who talked himself into participating in the revolution was in rebellion against him, not against the English” (Mahfouz 422), asks Fahmy to swear on the Holy Quran that he would cut all connections with the revolution. Fahmy, unable to make the false promise, sheds his cowardice, and politely refuses. Amazed by his own bravery, Fahmy realizes that his country is more important than himself. His regret over rebelling against his father is overshadowed by his passion for Egypt.
Ahmad, shocked that his own son could refuse his own command and worried that something might happen to him, turns to a holy man who prays for Fahmy. Ahmad’s fears prove legitimate at the end of the book, when Fahmy is killed in a demonstration. Being the first major event of the revolution that seriously affects the family, Fahmy’s death marked Ahmad’s physical deterioration and his letting go of traditions that he had previously vehemently imposed on his family. In the second and third book, Ahmad relaxes his strict hold on his family, and instead of spending many moments cursing his family, he spends time worrying for their safety.
The interpreters of Islamic law bound women to their homes, so that no man who was not a relative would see their faces. Khadija and Aisha, Al- Sayyid’s daughters, in their own little ways rebel against this rule. Aisha, the younger one lets a soldier in the street see her everyday, finding odd pleasure in breaking the law. Khadija, the elder daughter is known for her sharp and witty tongue. Even though she fears her father, during the coffee hour, she argues with other members of the family, maintaining her dominance over the rest. However, privately, she is constantly jealous of beautiful, yet dim-witted Aisha. One day, Ahmad, forced into accepting a rich, influential woman’s son for Aisha, informs the family of the decision. Khadija feels now that she will never marry, however, when she visits her sister’s new home, she meets Aisha’s new brother-in-law, Ibrahim al- Shawkat, and a connection is made. Soon, Ibrahim and Khadija marry and the two sisters become pregnant. Nine months later, Aisha has problems giving birth. During this time, when the men were unsure of how well Aisha was doing, Ahmad for the first time in the book worries for his daughter. “What’s happened to my little girl?...A tender smile or an affectionate word from me, from me in particular, would certainly lessen her pains” (Mahfouz 474). Ahmad gets weaker as he experiences more and more pain. He slowly sheds his previous, traditional role of the stern, cold-blooded father for a more modern, caring, not-so-strict fatherly role.
Kamal, the youngest is his mother’s favorite. Every night, before he goes to sleep, he recites verses of the Quran that he learns at school and Amina memorizes them. Then she tells him a story- often about supernatural beings. Kamal for a long time believes everything his mother tells him, however as time progresses he realizes that most of what his mother told him was made-up. His relationship with his father was not as personal. As much as he tried to please his father, even a tiny mistake on his part would earn him a tongue-lashing from his father.
When his father was not home, Kamal loved being the center of attention. He was also the one used to send messages. His brother Fahmy asks him to send messages to Mariam telling her that he was in love with her. At that time, Kamal does not know what the message means; he simply sees it as an opportunity to get some sweets from Mariam. As the revolutionary movement became louder, British troops were sent to maintain ‘peace’. Kamal begins to visit the British everyday- singing and talking with them. Being aware of the fact that his family, especially Fahmy, was upset by S’ad Zhaghul Pasha’s exile, often asked the British to release the revolutionary. At the same time, Kamal does not understand why everyone is so unhappy with the British but deep inside he knows that he will always be loyal to Egypt. Still a primary school boy, Kamal realizes that even though the British officers are his friends, Egypt is his country and he wants Egypt to win the war.
Kamal also witnesses a strange sight when his neighbor, Mariam openly shows her face and smiles at a British officer. For him, Mariam was going against Islamic law by shamelessly showing her face to a stranger. At the same time, Kamal did not realize just how serious the situation was. There were other scenes that Kamal witnessed that made him confused about the relationship between men and women. In the second part of the book we read of a more mature Kamal- who, like other members of his family, drinks and indulges in promiscuous women. Also, in the third book, after being exposed to western scientific beliefs, like Darwin’s evolution theory, “Kamal begins to turn away from the religion and customs of his parents” (“Plot Summary: The Cairo Trilogy”). In this way, rebelling fully against his traditional upbringing and opening his mind to secular points of view.
Zaynab, Yasin’s wife, was very different from Amina- An idea, Yasin found hard to come to terms with. While Amina was the very embodiment of a perfect Muslim wife, Zaynab was the ‘new’ kind of wife- who believed in a certain amount of freedom and equality for women. Even after marriage, Yasin, like his father goes out every night. On one occasion, Zaynab, still unable to accept the restrictions placed on her, asks to go with him. Yasin agrees and takes her out. “Amina, the traditional woman, predictably leads the opposition to this notion (for otherwise her own decades of acceptance look wasted and foolish)” (Pipes)
Zaynab, brought up in a fairly liberal home found the rules of her new home hard to adjust to. Amina’s and Zaynab’s conflict did not last very long- after a few months of married life, Yasin is tempted by another maid he sees on the balcony at night. Zaynab, not willing to listen to Amina’s plea to accept Yasin for who he was, escapes from the Al Jawad house and goes back to her father. By escaping from the Al Jawad home, Zaynab emphasizes that she would not be a slave to her husband, and that she did not want to be involved with a man who disrespected her dignity.
The next day, her father asks Ahmad for a divorce between Yasin and Zaynab. More than being shocked by Yasin’s behavior, Ahmad is furious that Zaynab made such a racket about a small matter. To him, “There was nothing strange about a man casting out a pair of shoes, but shoes were not supposed to throw away their owner” (Mahfouz 409). Ahmad is obviously upset by the change in tradition, when only men asked for divorces.
Zaynab’s belief that a woman has a right to justice was not the only one of its kind to penetrate the family. As the revolution gets more intense in the second and third books, Khadija’s son, Ahmad Shawkat falls in love with a journalist who insists on being treated with dignity. The journalist agrees to marry Shawkat on the condition that she would be an equal partner. He agrees. In this way even though Khadija was subjugated to her father’s will, her daughter-in-law was given the freedom to act as she pleased. Before the revolution, women like the journalist--who had jobs and demanded equality—would have harshly punished, but, because modern ideals were infiltrating Egyptian society, these women’s demands were considered acceptable.
The female journalist was one of many women at that time who felt that their lives were not meant to be wasted away in confinement. Because of the revolution, ideas, that might have been considered western, were incorporated into Egyptian society as people became more aware of the injustices there traditionalism brought. During the revolution, one of the important demonstrations that took place was the one by women. Women walked through the streets of Cairo protesting the war – something that was considered unlawful at that time. The demonstration was shunned upon by traditional men and women at that time- including Ahmad and Amina. Later on, as modern values became more and more acceptable, Interpreters of Islamic law decided that it was not necessary that women be secluded servants of the males in their family.
Amina, herself changes as society changes. As her husband becomes more and more frail, Amina takes advantage of his loose control over the family and goes and visits her favorite mosque everyday. Her belief in the patriarchal system that suppressed women slowly wore out. By being exposed to the lives of women changed by modernity, Amina realizes her right to be treated as a human being.
At the end of the trilogy, a weak Ahmad, dies. Amina, badly affected by her husband’s death follows her husband’s path. Amina’s death also marks the birth of her great grandchild—showing that life would continue. Not a perfect life, but a life filled with struggles between submitting to social norms or rebelling and taking the first step to improve society and the plight of the under-privileged.
In the Al Jawad family the destruction of traditionalism gave way to the benefits of modernism. The third generation of women in the Al Jawad family were free to explore their wants and was given the opportunity to choose their destinies. It is true that Egyptian women do not live in an egalitarian country, however, after the revolution; women were in a better position than they were at the beginning of the revolution in 1919. Women were finding jobs, visiting friends unaccompanied and many years later, even driving cars.
Ahmad’s sons also benefited from modernism. Yasin learns more about his father and realizes that his father is not only the severe man he knew him to be- Al Sayyid was a fun-seeking man. To Yasin, Ahmad’s secret life meant that Yasin had the right to go out at night and seek pleasure in unmarried women. Fahmy, before he dies realizes his passion in life. By breaking free of the ropes that bound him to social norm that demanded total obedience to his father, Fahmy would not have lived a purpose driven life. During the last few hours of his life- Fahmy is surrounded by students who look at him with awe- inspiring him to declare privately that he would be willing to give his life up for his country.
Kamal’s maturity was influenced by the revolution--a period in Egyptian history when modern values took the place of traditional ones. Before the revolution, sons were brought up in the same society as their fathers. As a result, sons would be very similar to their father—believing in the same traditions and upholding the same values. However, Kamal influenced by the situation around him- the war, the British near his house and Fahmy’s death grows up to question the very traditions that he would have otherwise accepted as the social norm.
So it can be said that the revolution did bring about a change from traditionalism to modernism in the Al Jawad family. Before the revolution, Ahmad’s wife and children lived in fear of him, whereas he enjoyed himself everyday. However his nightly outings stop for a while with Fahmy’s death, his wife is given the opportunity to walk the streets of Cairo and visit her favorite mosque, and his children are given the opportunity to think for themselves, and form their own beliefs based on what they considered was important to their own lives. The family’s thought process was not limited according to Al-Sayyid’s will or Islamic law. The family experienced freedom- unhindered by the rules of society.
