Blog Post 7

“We were in fact know in the village for not divorcing our wives and for not having more than one. The villagers used to joke about us and say that we were afraid of our women, except for my uncle Abdul Karim who was both much divorced and much marred- and an adulterer to boot.” Pg 67

I think that these sentences are a counter story within the story. These sentences speak to the culture of the village. When reading these words it paints the picture that the village men are different from the other men in Africa. They are portrayed to be scared of their women. The village men are not as manly as the other men because they do not take on many wives and they do not divorce often. When looking at these sentences one could be mislead to believe that this is true. The character Wad Rayyes that has been married and divorce several times is in opposition to this point of view. Wad Rayyes is known throughout many villages as being a ladies’ man. He is described as changing women as often as people change donkeys. He not only divorces often but also has had more than one wife at a time. He believes whole heartily in marrying and divorcing. He even advises the men of the village to take on additional wives. He speaks on all the different attributes in having a plethora of women can offer a man. What unfolds between Wad Rayyes and Mustafa Sa’eed is correlated to these two sentences. Wad Rayyes is in opposition to these sentences. He is old and has been married several times. He is currently married and wants to marry Mustafa Sa’eed . His wants and actions are in contradiction to these sentences. He knows that Mustafa Sa’eed does not want to marry him but he does not care. Wad Rayyes is not concerned with the wants of Mustafa and he is not afraid of a woman. Wad completely goes over Mustafa’s head to her father and forces her into marriage. In the sentences on page 67 a certain image is portrayed. This image shows a certain relationship between men and women. Women may have more power than men when it comes to relationships. These sentences are effective in making the reader think that there may be a different power relationship between men and women in this village. The narrator tells us that it is true that few men divorce or take on more than one wife. This counter story leads the reader in a direction that is opposite of what is the reality of the situation.