preview

The Yacoubian Building

Decent Essays

The novel of interest The Yacoubian Building written by Alaa Al Aswany is praised by scholars since the material highlights the taboo of homosexuality and offers insight about Egyptian society and its culture. Based on the material provided in the text, one must highlight that the characters in the book utilize their physicality and charm as a tool to harness control over others in order to meet personal demands and/or indulge in sexual desires. The characters Busayna and Hagg Muhammad Azzam take advantage of their physical nature and magnetism as a method to discover oneself as well as attempt to break away from their customary life. This is significant because due to the inconsistencies that these individuals have encountered in their life it contributes to how these two forms of appeals are means of restoring stability. Busayna using her physique to meet certain demands puts her on the pathway to break away from employment hardship and conflict pertaining to income within her family structure. Azzam using his charm to seduce men to achieve gratification contributes to in his quest to recover the emotionally and physically connection he once took pleasure in at a young age. As a whole, these characters lack the strength to form their own identity and ultimately make choices for themselves. Therefore, using elements that they already possess such as their looks and ability to persuade others becomes a …show more content…

Readers are introduced to Busayna by Aswany (2002) describing her character as an educated woman who once had a set life plan but as soon as her father passed away resulted in the dynamics of her household changing. Varying from her mother taking up a job outside the home to Busayna being pressured to put her dignity to the side to provide for her family. The text

Get Access