5. What do you make of the character of Hamida and her decisions? Read full question inside as comment 1

[Jen]

5) What do you make of the character of Hamida and her decisions? Critics have claimed that Hamida was a symbol for Egypt. Mahfouz claimed that he didn’t intent for her to be an explicit allegory but that he later recognized the connection and believed he was subconsciously writing about his native country. What are some examples from the book that support this allegory?

[Pip]

Hamida relies on custom from the British military when she becomes a prostitute, so it could be argued that she was corrupted by the colonial power in the same way as the country was. She is a girl who is rebels against society's expectations and goes her own way, only to find herself in a new, different situation where she is equally constrained by her pimp. Could that be an allegory for mid-century Egypt? The Suez crisis comes to mind, although that was nine years after publication.

[Eadie]

Hamida main objectives were freedom and money. She was not afraid to bend cultural traditions in order to make money as a prostitute. Mahfouz uses the character of Hamida to show the changes in Egypt in regards to religion, money and traditions.

[[deleted user]]

Agree with Eadie and Pip

[Tracy]

Hamida was searching for security, and had no scruples or morals, so she was willing to do whatever it took to get that security. One parallel I see is how the jobs were drying up, the money was going with it, and people were actually grumbling that the war wouldn't last forever, like promised. Some were even mad at Hitler for losing. They read the papers and followed the war, therefore they had to know he was their enemy. So I see this as a search for security by the people being employed for the war effort, and, like Hamida, a suspension of morals for material gain.

[Anna]

Well, this is an interesting question that I did not consider. The thing that struck me about Hamida was that she was always looking for the best deal. Abbas was not an option until he said that he would go make money elsewhere. Then Alwan trumped him when he offered to marry Hamida but his unfortunate heart attack got in the way. Last, Hamida goes off with Ibrahim Faraj because he offers her money and luxuries and that trumps Abbas's offer. I guess this could say something about Egypt's allegiances. That they will always align themselves with the best deal even if it is not the moral choice.

[Kristel]

I think Hamida could very well represent Egypt who could give in to the Western way or stay true to the Arab way.


I kept thinking about Hamida and what she really wanted was to be her own boss, be worshiped by others and even to own the business that her pimp controlled.

[Gina]

Hamida wanted the freedom she thought money would bring so she could be the one in control.

[Wolf]

Put this way, it makes sense. I'm just not a big fan of this kind of symbolic interpretation. I think there is enough in the book about the people's interactions with the British, their attitudes towards the war etc. not to make one character into a symbol. I'd rather see her as one of the examples for it, though maybe the most extreme one.

[Patrick]

I agree with Pip