Naguib Mahfouz

Obsession is one of the greatest obstacles for mankind to overcome. In Naguib Mahfouz’s Midaq Alley and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, the motif of obsession helps to both characterize and even foreshadow the fates of the characters. Both novels illustrate that obsessions with an object or person leads to demise, but the novels differ in how they portray the effects of these obsessions on humanity. Before continuing this analysis, obsession will be clearly defined.

The early 20th century saw major changes in Arabic societies, which initiated a new cultural order that changed the lives of men and women alike. The sweeping changes associated with this period were catalyzed by a massive immigration from the countryside into the rapidly expanding urban centers of the region. There exist a variety of contributing factors to this migration: systems of land inheritance that fragmented land into smaller parcels (decreasing an already declining income per capita);

Setting is used in literature in order to set the time and place as well as the mood within a literary piece. Mahfouz uses various settings throughout the novel in order to showcase the development of Hamida’s rebellious character. The different settings come together to deliver the important message of Hamida’s literal and metaphoric entrapment, loss of her identity, and the development of her rebelliousness. Since the novel takes place during WWII in the 1940s, it brings about the idea of modernization

especially the Jewish factory girls. She tells her mother, "If you had seen the factory girls! You should just see those Jewish girls who go to work. They all go about in nice clothes. Well, what is the point of life then if we can't wear what we want? (Mahfouz 27)" In the 1930's Cairo faced a different kind of Westernization. Italy and Germany invaded Egypt. "They offered an alternative lifestyle with more modern assets such as electricity and running water. (Lewis 348)" Also Cairo had become more diverse

(dictionary.com). In other words they want payment for being wronged in the past. If the case is found to be legitimate and proven justifiable, the defendant pays the plaintiff the awarded compensation. This brings us to the story, The Lawsuit, by Naguib Mahfouz. This tale is about a son being sued by his father’s widow demanding maintenance be paid to her some twenty years after the father’s death. Several of the individuals in this story serve very little purpose.

The symbolic significance of Nur in The Thief and the Dogs, by Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz’s The Thief and the Dogs was written in 1961 and is a highly complex novel amongst the author’s most celebrated works. Utilising a stream of consciousness style that engages the reader from the opening to the conclusion of the novel, it embraces themes like morality, anarchy, revenge and betrayal. However, it also examines the impact of darkness and it is this theme that is highlighted by minor characters

The novel, Midaq Alley, written by Naguib Mahfouz, tells the story of various characters living in a poor alley in Egypt during World War I. Of all the people in Midaq Alley, Hamida is the one who lusts most for an escape from tradition and poverty. She despises her traditional culture, and longs for a life free from the social and cultural constraints that fall upon her. Hamida is introduced as a strong character; however, the temptation of modernization guides her towards a more enticing lifestyle

Midaq Alley Naguib Mahfouz To what extent is Midaq Alley an “Arab” novel? Does this add to or detract from the novel’s overall impact on an international audience. The work of literature “Midaq Alley” by Naguib Mahfouz introduces the audience an Arab culture through his descriptions of different characters. Each character is used as an analogue, representing people in the alley with different beliefs and ambitions. Moreover, the characteristics of Mahfouz’s characters also draw international readers’

especially the Jewish factory girls. She tells her mother, "If you had seen the factory girls! You should just see those Jewish girls who go to work. They all go about in nice clothes. Well, what is the point of life then if we can't wear what we want? (Mahfouz 27)" In the 1930's Cairo faced a different kind of Westernization. Italy and Germany invaded Egypt. "They offered an alternative lifestyle with more modern assets such as electricity and running water. (Lewis 348)" Also Cairo had become more diverse

The short story “The Happy Man” by Naguib Mahfouz centers around a man haunted by his own happiness, something that would initially seem desirable but as the reader begins to discover; is anything but that. A similar example of something along the lines of this can be found in the TV-series by Justin Roiland; “Rick and Morty”, where main character Rick bears the burden of his vast intellect, further reinforcing the statement, “too much of something, is anything but a good thing”. Whether it be the