“I felt as though Cairo, that large mountain to which my camel had carried me, was a European woman just like Mrs. Robinson, its arms embracing me, its perfume and the odour of its body filling my nostrils. In my mind her eyes were the colour of Cairo: grey-green, turning at night to a twinkling like that of a firefly...Mrs. Robinson was a buxom woman and with a bronze complexion that harmonized with Cairo, as though she were a picture tastefully chosen to go with the colour of the walls in a room” (Salih, Season of Migration to the North, 23).
There’s a lot of information in this passage. I don’t feel like I’ve figured it out in its entirety, but here are my thoughts thus far:
Mustafa Sa’eed repeatedly uses large mountains and hills as metaphors for various destinations on his lifelong journey. This places emphasis on the nature of his journey--point A to point B, mountain to mountain, obstacle to obstacle. He is not simply free and along for the ride. He is worried about his immediate future and survival. Life is never easy, because between these mountains lies the metaphorical desert, vast and unforgiving. This desert reminds the reader that, despite his education, Sa’eed is a wanderer. He is the archetypal “outsider” no matter where he ties up his camel for the night. He has no permanent home or people. He is neither fully Eastern nor fully Western, and consequently is alienated by both groups and stripped of his authenticity and authority. The desert is also full of mirages, which torment Sa’eed with hopes for a peaceful life and a sense of belonging. In the end these things prove impossible to achieve.
This passage in its entirety is also a vivid metaphor--comparing Cairo to Mrs. Robinson. The metaphor is described first using sense of touch (also emotional response), then by smell (perfume and pheromones) and finally by sight. The metaphor tells a lot about Sa’eed’s first meeting with Mrs. Robinson, more so than his first impressions of Cairo. Cairo is not that important in the scheme of things. It’s just another mountain to be scaled. Mrs. Robinson is painted as an exotic European woman. She is tender, smells lovely, has dazzling eyes, full breasts and bronze skin. Sa’eed (age 12 at this point) is clearly coming of age. More importantly, he is traveling not only to conquer the European educational system, but also the exoticism of the European woman (represented here by his sexual yearnings for Mrs. Robinson). In some ways then, this metaphor also foreshadows his time in London.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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I really like your take on this passage, because when I first looked at it I only saw the metaphor comparing the mountains to Mrs. Robinson. I love that you connect the mountains to his obstacles, his long journey, and things he has to overcome. I think that pointing out that Sa'eed is never fully western or fully eastern is also an important point. Possibly, the mountains are points in his life where he is more western or more eastern depending on where he goes. And the "vast and unforgiving" desert is where he is neither predominately western nor eastern. I love the multiple reasonings you found here.
ReplyDeleteI think the point you make about Sa'eed conquering not only the European educational system, but the exoticism of European women is really insightful. For me, when I read this passage I didn't get a sense of conquering purpose from it, but I definitely think it's there after reading your interpretation.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have a clear perspective on this phrase in a way that I did not fully understand until I read your post. I just thought he was stating the mountains as the destinations also, but I never put into line what the valleys/deserts were representing. I agree that it seems he is discovering his sexual yearning for things when he first runs into Mrs. Robinson and notices the qualities about her past her more common features. He has matured at a rate that seems to be faster than normal, for only being 12, although it seems that people acknoledge him to be older (15 on the train), and I think that has a ton to do with his traveling all over, by himself, and growing up by himself (technically). I think the way this sentence is phrased is very insightful and all together paints a beautiful picture of what both Cairo and Mrs. Robinson look/seem like.
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