Arab Women and Their Spouses

Arab Women and Their Spouses

In many societies, the relationships between people differ and in some ways are all alike. None so obscure as the relationship between man and woman. It is especially intriguing to witness the compatibility of both especially in marriage. Using the three novels Pillars of Salt, by Fadia Faqir, A Woman of Five Seasons, by Leila Al-Atrash, and A Balcony over the Fakihani, by Liyana Badr one might begin to analyze the different relationships between men and women in Arab culture. While any relationship is uniquely different, these novels will aid in getting a better idea about Arab women and their husbands.

The stories begin with the novel Pillars of Salt where Maha and Um Saad are roommates in a mental hospital.

Born a Bedouin woman by the Red Sea, in Jordan, Maha was a young woman living with her father and callous brother, when she became familiar with Harb, another man of their tribe. One night, while Maha was telling a particular story to Harb, he dismissed the subject and asked if she could meet with him that night. To Maha?s astonishment she replied, "Are you mad? For a girl to be out at night is a crime of honor. They will shoot me between the eyes" (p10). This secret meeting would be forbidden by the tribe because a woman?s virginity was held sacred and if it were taken away there would be little to no chance of marriage or respect, as it was for Maha?s friend Nasra, who was raped by Maha?s brother.

Later on, a wedding proposal occurred when the dignitaries of the tribe came and asked Maha?s father for the hand of Maha, in the name of Harb. After slight hesitation by Maha?s father, because he was giving away his only daughter, the deal was sealed and Harb gave five camels to his fut...

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... answer is living without this respect. Unfortunately, Um Saad exemplifies this characteristic and therefore becomes insane.

More commonly, the end appears with the unexpected death of the husband. Each dying in some sort of battle, Maha?s, Yusra?s, and Su?ad?s husbands were all kind men, who respected their wives and never hurt them irreverently. It is with this that the say goes "good men die young". While that has nothing to do with Arab culture specifically, it does seem to be a continuing theme in these novels, by Arab women. Where war and detachment in their world lead them on an emotional rollercoaster ride, these women are forced to form attachments with others, who are most likely their husbands. These relationships are all individual, and therefore not always the case, but very clearly point out logical and possible situations in Arab culture marriages.