Palace Walk

“She wanted to disguise her embarrassment with irony as usual, even if it was at her own expense.”

Amina’s reassurance about marriage cuts through the stern, sarcastic demeanor that Khadija presents to the world. As much as she insists that she does not care about marriage, the suggestion that the dream could be a foreshadowing of an actual proposal is a comfort to the girl, whose restrictive life has given her very low self-esteem. Amina is soon proven wrong, however, as Khadija must wait longer to be married, but Amina is willing to share white lies with her daughter to make her feel better.

“This roof […] was her beautiful, beloved world and her favorite place for relaxation out of the whole universe, about which she knew nothing.”

Because Amina is not permitted to leave the house due to her husband’s domineering beliefs, the garden on the roof offers her an alternative form of escapism. Here, she has claimed the space as her sanctuary and has grown her own garden, thereby taking ownership of the space and actively creating her own world to replace the wider world that she has lost. The garden is the only expression of agency possible for a woman who is not permitted to leave her own house. Since she cannot explore the world outside, the garden gives her a place to imagine the broad universe on her own terms, and she can also catch glimpses of the world she used to freely inhabit.

“It was a time to enjoy being together as a family and to have a pleasant chat.”

The coffee hour is a beloved family tradition in the household. Notably, however, al-Sayyid Ahmad does not attend these gatherings. The father’s absence from the coffee hour demonstrates his emotional distance from his own family, as he prefers to maintain an air of authority rather than actually sharing his opinions and beliefs in this type of setting. While most of the family members are united by their enjoyment of the coffee hour, al-Sayyid Ahmad cannot bring himself to engage in such a social activity with the people from whom he demands respect.

“He had simply set her down at the level to which her activity had lowered her.”

Yasin’s relationship with his mother is influenced by his father’s misogyny. Many years before, al-Sayyid Ahmad divorced Yasin’s mother, and in the time since, Yasin has distanced himself from her. He believes that the distance he has created between them is proper because she has ruined her reputation with a string of unsuccessful relationships. Given the scandals that Yasin will invite into his own life, however, his opinion about his mother’s reputation demonstrates the true depths of his own unexamined hypocrisy.

“Despite his great number of amorous adventures, out of all the different varieties of love, al-Sayyid Ahmad had experienced only lust.”

Al-Sayyid Ahmad has a complicated understanding of love and lust. While he adores the company of women and cannot live without sex, he cannot accord women status as equals. To him, women are resources that allow him to vent his sexual desires, and he does not see them as people on his own level of existence. He has experienced only lust because he does not respect women enough to love them as he loves himself.

“If you do, you’ll relieve me of the sufferings of my life.”

Yasin cannot abide his mother’s tenderness because it reminds him of the ways in which he has abandoned her as a son. When he claims that he wishes that he could kill her, she does not react to his aggressive insults. Instead, she shares a tragic truth with him, admitting that her mistakes and her failures have led her to a point of immense suffering. She does not like what her life has become, even as her own son Yasin curses her for the crime of existing.

“Khadija, you’re mistaken. I was looking at the street.”

Aisha falls in love with a man who passes each day on the street. When Khadija catches her trying to make eye contact with the man again, Aisha reveals her own guilty conscience. Rather than explaining away her fascination with the man outside, she believes that she is guilty of lust. Therefore, she lies, inventing a patently untrue version of events which only damns her in her sister’s eyes. Aisha feels guilty for her actions, as shown through the desperate way in which she lies.

“Fahmy noticed the angry sorrow concealed behind the altruism of Khadija’s words.”

Khadija’s sarcastic tone and frequent jokes serve as a defense mechanism against her low self-esteem. As her brother, however, Fahmy has come to understand his sister’s personality. He knows that her jokes hide an “angry sorrow” (152), but he chooses to empathize with her rather than mocking her as Yasin might do. The closeness of the family is often revealed in the ways in which they do not speak to one another. By keeping quiet, Fahmy reveals his understanding of and concern for Khadija.

“Everything had ended. It would be incorporated into the family history and forgotten.”

Many of the incidents and mistakes committed by the family members cannot be undone. Rather, these mistakes become part of the family history. As the mistakes become stories, they lose their full power to cause emotional harm and are relegated instead to the ever-growing collection of family mythology. By turning regrets into family history, the family members render these mistakes manageable, creating teachable moments from their past rather than lingering over old regrets.

“The doctor said there’s absolutely no reason to worry. May God spare you any evil, sir.”

After her ill-fated excursion to the mosque, Amina tries to placate her husband by assuring him that he does not need to worry. While she is the one who was involved in an accident, her primary concern is to pray to God that her husband be spared “any evil” (184). She is so afraid of al-Sayyid Ahmad that she forgets her physical pain and seeks to preempt the abuse that she fears from her husband.

“Her trust in her husband also continued undimmed.”

Al-Sayyid Ahmad punishes his wife for disobedience by telling her to leave his house. He threatens to cut her off from her own family as a way to discipline her for going outside. Despite this, Amina retains her trust in her husband. She cannot bring herself to criticize him, even when he is punishing her in the harshest possible terms. For all his abuse, she remains emotionally beholden to him and cannot bring herself to criticize him.

“Bring back Mama, God help you.”

Kamal is the youngest member of the family, but in many instances, he is the only one who can verbalize any form of criticism of his father, even in the softest possible terms. Anxiously, he calls out to his father to allow his mother to return home, after his older siblings have admitted to one another that they are too afraid to say this to al-Sayyid Ahmad themselves. Kamal is severely beaten for this supposed act of insolence, but his bravery distinguishes him from his siblings and their inability to defy their father.

“It was a characteristic of him to devote all his attention to a woman’s body and neglect her personality.”

Yasin does not pay any attention to women’s personalities because he has inherited his father’s misogynistic disregard for women’s humanity. Women’s bodies, in Yasin’s mind, exist only for his titillation, so the only way he can relate to women is to devote himself to any part of their body that he might find attractive and imagine how it might please him. He does not simply neglect women’s personalities; he barely acknowledges that women have personalities in the first place.

“Go upstairs, you criminal.”

Yasin tries to rape Umm Hanafi after returning intoxicated from the wedding. He is caught by his father, who loses all respect for him. While Yasin is the heir to his father’s misogynistic view of women, he also lacks his father’s self-control. Although his father calls him a criminal, his accusation is not necessarily based on any form of respect for Umm Hanafi, as al-Sayyid Ahmad does not respect women in this way. Instead, Yasin’s truly criminal act—in his father’s opinion—is his lack of discipline.

“With the addition of Zaynab, the coffee hour acquired a new face.”

The changing dynamics of the family mean that the rituals and the traditions of the family must also change. The arrival of Yasin’s wife Zaynab, plus the departure of Khadija and Aisha, give a new dynamic to the coffee hour. The honesty and familiarity built up among the family members for many years is not shared by Zaynab, who must strive to integrate herself to win the approval of her new family. The changing coffee hour is a means of tracking the social effects of the changes that have taken place in the family.

“Consequently, he had been content to limit his patriotism to an emotional and psychic participation.”

Al-Sayyid Ahmad convinces himself that he is a good, patriotic Egyptian man, but his means of pushing for independence demonstrates his unwillingness to risk his own well-being. He donates money but does not get involved in actual political movements. He happily limits himself to emotionally and intellectually desiring independence for his country without doing anything other than making occasional donations. This unwillingness to risk anything in a material sense casts doubt on the sincerity of al-Sayyid Ahmad’s desire for independence.

“That evening, for the first time in a quarter century or more, the assembled friends seemed averse to fun and music.”

The group of friends claims that they are deeply upset by political events. Their unhappiness, they assure each other, is evident through their inability to convene for their regular parties. They ask each other how they can get drunk at a time like this, but they soon get drunk anyway. For men like al-Sayyid Ahmad and his friends, even the possibility of stopping the party for one night is inconceivable, though they must concoct a self-serving lie to reassure themselves that they are partying in the name of their political cause.

“He was not sure what he had touched, for her was wandering in a trance world.”

Yasin has already caused a scandal by trying to rape Umm Hanafi. As he acts on the same feelings of sexual desire, he recognizes his own flaws. He knows that he is “in a trance world” (381) as he tries to seduce his wife’s servant, yet he continues nevertheless. Yasin is so self-involved that he willingly ignores the likelihood of scandal to indulge in a brief moment of physical pleasure. To Yasin, all that matters is his immediate satisfaction.

“What a traitor you are…They bought you with a piece of chocolate.”

Fahmy chides his younger brother Kamal for taking chocolate from the British soldiers. The comment is framed as a joke after the family is relieved that Kamal survived his encounter with the soldiers, but Fahmy’s words are laced with his own hidden political activism. He cannot criticize Kamal too strongly, for fear of alerting his mother to his recent rebellious activities, so he must temper his sincere accusations with the tone of a joke. Kamal does not pick up on his brother’s intention, however, and continues to befriend the soldiers who have become Fahmy’s sworn enemies.

“This young man is one of our friends among the freedom fighters.”

Fahmy’s association with the young demonstrators saves Yasin from the accusations of being a spy, but it also has the potential to cause great consternation for Fahmy himself. His father will not approve of Fahmy’s involvement with the freedom fighters being so publicly announced. This is a demonstration of the sincerity of Fahmy’s beliefs, as he is willing to take a risk for the independence movement. He defends his brother, opening himself up to criticism from their father. This is in stark contrast to Yasin, who has no sincere beliefs other than his own pleasure and would never risk himself for Fahmy.

“Despite the seriousness of the topic, he told them the whole story in a style graced by comic touches and flourishes that inspired their comments.”

After he and other men are forced to help repair a ditch, al-Sayyid Ahmad turns the incident into an anecdote. While he may have legitimately feared for his life, the retelling of the story allows him to subtly alter events to seem less risky and more comedic. He uses the incident to reaffirm his social bonds, turning a near accident into a benefit for himself. In truth, al-Sayyid Ahmad would never admit to the fear he felt, as he cannot bring himself to risk anything for the independence movement: not even his reputation as a sociable man.

“Two or three hours after midnight when the people were sleeping, a few hundred British soldiers armed to the teeth surrounded the two towns.”

In his store, al-Sayyid Ahmad learns about the realities of colonial violence. Up until this point, the British colonial presence in the country has merely caused inconveniences and annoyances for the locals. Men like al-Sayyid Ahmad are able to support the independence movement in name only because their lives are not deeply affected by colonialism. However, the story about the violent murders in two towns demonstrates the fact that colonial violence can no longer be ignored.

“Would you have preferred to be a martyr?”

In the hours before his death, Fahmy’s thoughts foreshadow his imminent martyrdom. He believes that his country is on the cusp of independence, and he regrets not doing enough for the cause. Within hours, he will be dead. He will be martyred for the cause, even though he does not want to die. Fahmy’s fate is an ironic manifestation of the ill-fated desires of a man who already believes that his objective has been achieved. He will not live to see the independence for which he has fought.