Mountains and Deep Depressions

“And the river, the river but for which there would have been no beginning and no end, flows northwards, pays heed to nothing; a mountain may stand in its way so it turns eastwards; it may happen upon a deep depression so it turns westwards, but sooner or later it settles down in its irrevocable journey towards the sea in the north” (58).
I thought this quote was an exceptional example for this assignment because there is such an incredible amount of information packed into just a couple line of the story. On the surface there is the story of the Nile River flowing through Africa on its long journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Looking a little deeper there are surely hundreds of historical stories relating to the effect the Nile has had on the individuals that live along its banks. The Nile allowed the Egyptians and other Africans to irrigate their crops enabling life in the region.
Although this quote refers to the incredible presence of the Nile, I think it would be foolish to assume that Salih’s words here are only about the river. Metaphorically this statement is saying that throughout life people have a mission; call it destiny, fate, religious predestination, or some other driving force that ultimately drives the world we live in. The “mountains” and “deep depressions” represent the significant people, events, and obstacles that may affect our lives. Ultimately there is some stronger force or goal that will drive our being.
The river’s story serves as an excellent example of a counterstory to most Western, Hegelian literature where main characters live a life in which the control their own destiny. Look at old fashioned, shoot-em up Western dramas. These cowboys control their environment through vigilante justice. In Cowboy Westerns people did whatever the hell they wanted to do and responded to John Wayne’s revolver, not some higher force or overlying life mission. Also, look at the countless stories in American and European society where “self-made men” become successful through sheer hard work and individual thought. This passage from Season of Migration to the North opposes this thought of individuals controlling their environment. This is a clear example both literally and metaphorically of something reacting to its environment following a larger, more controlling force. In a sense, both the individuals and the river are forced to follow a mission, sure things may get in the way that make life different whether it be mountains and deep depressions or murder trials and other life events but ultimately both the river and the individual have to end up in their final predestined place.