The Power of men In the Libyan Society
The novel In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar tells a story about a nine-year old boy, Suleiman, living within a male dominated society. The author uses various aspects of Libyan society and the gender roles within them to represent what it meant to be a man. Suleiman witnesses the power difference between male and females in a totalitarian society, and through his observations; Suleiman craves the same power.
The way Suleiman perceives the male figures in his life, demonstrates how they are described in society. The high council is described as “deadly and Fierce” (Matar, 147). As well as they own a level of power that “rivals that of a German factory” (Matar, 147). The words describing the high council suggest towards an unruly nature. At an early age, Suleiman is exposed to the idea that expresses men as powerful and unmoving. One male figure that had a large impact in …show more content…
Suleiman believes he can only make a change if he becomes a man. One of Suleiman’s desires is to “make her happy, as happy as she seemed when Baba was home” (Matar, 123). Suleiman’s wants to make Mama happy especially when he is the only one home to care for her, but he understands she is most happy when Baba, a man, is home. This mentality that Suleiman is in, that only a man can reach his own goal, is setting him up to follow a path set by society. In addition, Suleiman is constantly lied to in the book because he is considered a kid. At one point Suleiman yells “You always lie. I am not a child and you always lie.” (Matar, 201) As a nine-year old, Suleiman is trying really hard to disassociate himself from being placed under the ‘kid’ title. In the Libyan society Suleiman lives in, being a kid results in being considered unable to fully comprehend a situation and this leads all kids, as seen with Suleiman, to be put in the
The novel In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar tells a story about a nine-year old boy, Suleiman, living within a male dominated society. The author uses various aspects of Libyan society and the gender roles within them to represent what it meant to be a man. Suleiman witnesses the power difference between male and females in a totalitarian society, and through his observations; Suleiman craves the same power.
The way Suleiman perceives the male figures in his life, demonstrates how they are described in society. The high council is described as “deadly and Fierce” (Matar, 147). As well as they own a level of power that “rivals that of a German factory” (Matar, 147). The words describing the high council suggest towards an unruly nature. At an early age, Suleiman is exposed to the idea that expresses men as powerful and unmoving. One male figure that had a large impact in …show more content…
Suleiman believes he can only make a change if he becomes a man. One of Suleiman’s desires is to “make her happy, as happy as she seemed when Baba was home” (Matar, 123). Suleiman’s wants to make Mama happy especially when he is the only one home to care for her, but he understands she is most happy when Baba, a man, is home. This mentality that Suleiman is in, that only a man can reach his own goal, is setting him up to follow a path set by society. In addition, Suleiman is constantly lied to in the book because he is considered a kid. At one point Suleiman yells “You always lie. I am not a child and you always lie.” (Matar, 201) As a nine-year old, Suleiman is trying really hard to disassociate himself from being placed under the ‘kid’ title. In the Libyan society Suleiman lives in, being a kid results in being considered unable to fully comprehend a situation and this leads all kids, as seen with Suleiman, to be put in the