'The social position of women is clearly shown to be subordinate in Naguib Mahfouz's 'Midaq Alley' and 'Season of Migration to the North', by Tayeb Salih.' To what extent do you agree with this statement?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view all our essays on World Literature that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

'The social position of women is clearly shown to be subordinate in Naguib Mahfouz's 'Midaq Alley' and 'Season of Migration to the North', by Tayeb Salih.' To what extent do you agree with this statement?

In this essay I plan to argue that the social position of women is clearly shown to be subordinate in 'Midaq Alley' and 'Season of Migration to the North'. I will firstly examine how and why men pursue women in the two books. I shall also look at women's status and rights in society. I shall then go on to look at marriage, as well as violence between men and women both inside and outside of marriage.

In Midaq Alley, Salim Alwan pursues Hamida. However, he does not do this out of any sort of love but because he fears that his 'youth and virility' are vanishing, and wishes to prove to himself that he is still virile. He wishes to do so because his wife, who has always disapproved of his special food, is increasingly reluctant to indulge him in the active sex-life he wants. He accuses her 'of frigidity and of being sexually exhausted'. However, Salim Alwan shows no sympathy for