Naguib Mahfouz’s, Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, short story, “The Answer Is No”, published in 1991 addresses the topic of consent and asserts that traumatic experiences in the past can affect future relationships. Mahfouz supports his claim with foreshadowing about the outcome of the story with the title, similes to compare the rapists overbearing character to a violent current in the ocean, and concrete language to express the emotions the woman is experiencing throughout the story. Mahfouz’s overall purpose is to inform the general public that because one painful incident can negatively impact women, the road to recovering is difficult, as they try to let go of the memories and move on with their lives. Mahfouz
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In this case, a 13 year old girl is raped by her mathematics tutor, a friend of her family’s at the time. The rapist asks for the young woman’s hand when she became of age, but the hatred, spite and terror that the girl holds for him leads to rejection. Because the author, Mahfouz, was born in Egypt, so it can be seen that the focal point of his story revolves around middle eastern cultural. It can be seen that the use of pre-arranged marriages is in egyptian or middle eastern families, just like the instance in his short story. In this case, I was surprised the author chose to have the man who raped the young girl propose to her when she became of age. However, the author makes a effort to point out that situations like these are common for many middle eastern women and girls. The pre-arranged marriage does not go as planned, and it can be seen that because the young lady is paralyzed by her past, she becomes “content” with solitude (Mahfouz 682). This complications in the plot when the man becomes the headmaster at the women's school, however, I believe that her choice to not marry the man was a wise decision. It can be seen in the end of history that she is better off not being married to him when she curtly states “I told you, I’m fine” (Mahfouz
In this case, a 13 year old girl is raped by her mathematics tutor, a friend of her family’s at the time. The rapist asks for the young woman’s hand when she became of age, but the hatred, spite and terror that the girl holds for him leads to rejection. Because the author, Mahfouz, was born in Egypt, so it can be seen that the focal point of his story revolves around middle eastern cultural. It can be seen that the use of pre-arranged marriages is in egyptian or middle eastern families, just like the instance in his short story. In this case, I was surprised the author chose to have the man who raped the young girl propose to her when she became of age. However, the author makes a effort to point out that situations like these are common for many middle eastern women and girls. The pre-arranged marriage does not go as planned, and it can be seen that because the young lady is paralyzed by her past, she becomes “content” with solitude (Mahfouz 682). This complications in the plot when the man becomes the headmaster at the women's school, however, I believe that her choice to not marry the man was a wise decision. It can be seen in the end of history that she is better off not being married to him when she curtly states “I told you, I’m fine” (Mahfouz