Violence In Tayeb Salih's Season Of Migration To The North

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Recommended: Subcultural theory of violence

Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North explores the intrinsic violent nature of humans through the scope of life in England and life in Sudan. Salih uses both experiences in a European country and a postcolonial country in his work as a means to reject a misconception of violence in regards to the postcolonial world. Violence, despite being a physical exertion of force is caused by something; whether it be violence during wartime or a violence that stems from desire. Season of Migration to the North seems to focus primarily on violence that stems from desire in particular, a sexual desire. This sexual desire is produced by colonial influences however, is not culturally subjective in that it is found in both England and Sudan. Salih does address misogyny in Sudan based in tradition and cultural practices.
There are two characters in particular that exemplify sexual violence and they are Mustafa Sa’eed and Wad Rayyes. Mustafa Sa’eed spent his earlier years in London becoming university educated and through his time in London he experienced a sexually violent and manipulative relationship with his first wife, Jean Morris. Their relationship was primarily about control and having control over the other. This search for control was ignited by Sa’eed’s pursuit of Jean Morris and his sexual desire for her as a partner. Wad Rayyes is a womanizer who pursues the wife of Sa’eed after his death. When the village forces Hosna bint Mahmoud to marry Rayyes he exerts his control over her physically and their relationship ends in death like Sa’eed’s relationship with Jean Morris.
Mustafa Sa’eed is a conqueror and a colonizer, instead of taking control of a place, he sought to take control of women on the basis of his own pleasure and ...

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... violence that are evident in Seasons of Migration to the North lies in the purpose of which the act of violence is done. For Sa’eed the relationship he had with Jean Morris was chaotic, dangerous and manipulative; both using each other for their own selfish reasons. Sa’eed for the conquest of pleasure and Morris for freedom; freedom from social constraints. For Rayyes the sexual violence was based on his own sexist views in which his dominance over women and the oppression of them is directly connected to their societies notion of gender roles. Colonialism is a disease; a disease that produces symptoms of sexual violence. Whether this violence be a means of freedom or a means to exert dominance, these effects of colonialism is not exclusive to the countries that are considered postcolonial such as Sudan but, rather the effects of colonialism are found everywhere.

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