Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery: Quick summary

This book which is told from Safiyya's nephew is a great insight to the familial relations of this particular Egyptian family. Aunt Safiyya bears a son raised to avenge his father the bey, who was killed after attacking a relative named Harbi. Harbi killed Safiyya's husband in self defense, however the customs of this tight -knit village require that he defend his family's honor and kill Harbi. It bears mentioning that everyone in this small village is related either by blood or marriage. Honor seems to be the most important asset of a family and is protected at all costs. Safiyya herself in order to maintain the honor of the family and the respect of the other female villagers is denied an education and raised by her father's sister to be a wife. Safiyya's other sister who are considered more homely then herself, are encouraged to get a proper education by their father. Though both do become wives themselves, they go on to lead a successful and seemingly fulfilling life while Safiyya's is consumed with avenging her husband. It seems though she is held in high esteem in the village, she was destined to lead a somber life committed to the memory of a dead man. Social stereotypes are challenged in this book as a father demands an education of his daughters, and the mother acting as an oppressor in the house hold, at least on behalf of Safiyya. The mother and father seem to disagree on what the best way to equip their daughters for the real world. This situation is not unlike modern day parents in the United States or other western countries. Neither is the vendetta against family members. As we discussed in class fallen gang members are often avanged by fellow members of the gang, in order to protect their honor. Though both acts are illegal in their respective countries, in their village their is a lack of enforcement behind such laws. People are used to solving problems for themselves and not depending on law enforcement. The people of this village live a life comparatively different then most western societies and allow the reader to gain a better understanding of why their culture does what it does. Female oppression still exists in arab countries as it does here in the United States. Our own example is proof that change takes time, and that change is indeed occurring in the middle east.