Depcting the Woman’s Character in Malekat Ala’aneb
The Novelist Naguib Al-Kilani is considered one of the leading Arab writers in contemporary times. His works have already enriched the Arabic library with more than forty novels. Malekat Ala’aneb The Queen of Grapes (written 1990)is one such novel that Al-Kilani brings to his readers that borders on a compelling subject and it was one of the last novels he wrote before his death on 1995.
The plot of Malekat Ala’aneb depicts the reality of a village which is filled with hope and pain, and he leads the readers to interact with it, as if they live in this Egyptian village at the end of the twentieth century. It deals with Al-Kilani's favorite world (the world of the village and the peasantry) which was covered in many of his previous works – several of his novels and short stories.
This novel is characterized by the unity of the subject, and the effect of time and place on the characters, and their relationship to them. Craftily, the author introduces his readers to a number of human models inhabiting the Egyptian village - the Mayor, beggar, Police Officer, farmers, illiterate and uneducated mothers drug users, Sheikh of the mosque , worshiper(s), and a member of the Chamber of Deputies.
However, the prominent character in the novel is the beautiful woman ‘Baraem’, who is the subject title – the ‘Queen of Grapes’ living in her village called Rabayah.
‘Baraem’ is the main and central figure that accompanies the readers, since the beginning of the story to the end.
As the lead protagonist she interacts with various events in the novel, the readers noticed that the events and the narrative plot evolve as a result of Baraem's character being developed .She experienced internal conflicts and conflicts with the outside communities.The dilemma of the plot and the turning point in her character happened when the miserable painful events occurred to the people of her village at other times.
Al-Kilani introduces Baraem as a courageous, intelligent and adventurous woman , introducing her character in the beginning pages of the novel while facing and quarrelling with ‘Hasaballah’ – who is one of the main characters in the storyline. Hasaballah is shown as a gentleman who preaches in the village mosque. During her arguments with Hasaballah, Baraem is seen asking and probing him on what he said about the grape crop and the necessity to allocate a part of it to the poor. This interaction makes the readers recognize Baraem first on their own, and later through Hasaballah's reflections about her which follows after this meeting.
Hasaballah says: "She quit education when she was in grade nine... She is brave, smart, and adventurous. When her father died, she came out to the field to plant and harvest. Her mother was ill, and she has two younger sisters. She was the first to introduce the cultivation of grapes in the village on a large scale, as she learnt it from her uncles in a nearby village. Now, she has a considerable experience. She began planting her four feddans left by her father, and after she succeeded, she rented more feddans with attractive prices, until what she plants today became more than thirty feddans. ….It was logical for her to head what could be called "The Guild of Grapes Growers", that she chooses the appropriate pesticides and fertilizers, and she sets the harvest dates, and she reaches an understanding with the senior traders to get the highest price, hence they called her the "Queen of Grapes". (AlKilani 11)
Readers can paint a picture of Baraem's character through Hasaballah's impressionas a smart, disciplined woman, who is capable of participating in the development of her society, and leading the group that had taken the cultivation of grapes as a work that generated abundant profits.In addition to her independence and courage, she is also described as very beautiful, and many men from the village had earlier proposed her for marriage. But she refuses to marry, and sets arguments as she wants to take care of her sick mother, her two younger sisters, and finally - the people of her village ‘Rabayah’.
There are several instances in the novel that show how her beauty is leaving onlookers stunned. On one instance - upon seeing Baraem for the first time, the female Member of the Parliament ‘Suad’ said to her , "Baraem, You are so beautiful!! Even women are astonished with your glamorous beauty!! I do not know why did you not marry until now?" (ALKilani 88). In another account from the story , ‘’...her teacher in prep school looked at her for a long time during the lesson, and he was stunned, kissed her in her lips and told: when you grow up, you will be Miss Universe " (ALKilani20)
Half-way through the novel, a dialogue between Baraem and her mother reveals another aspect of Baraem's character, which explains why she had not married until now.Baraem is described as wanting self-actualization before she starts relating deeply to her femininity and marries. She feels her ‘ideal man’ must have certain characteristics in him, and those characteristics were found missing in the men who had proposed to her, although they were so many proposals till date.
“When will you think about your future, Baraem?”
“I live it. It is my life and my dreams.”
“I do not mean grapes. But I mean you.”
She understood what her mother intended to say. She laughed and said:
“I'll marry when Allah wishes”.
“You are getting older, and you refused all men who prposed to marry you, including the employee and the trader, as well as the police officer .”
She sighed:
“Women want the strongest and the greatest man .”
“Women should need the chastity, my dear .”
“Chastity alone is not enough for me. I want more than it.".(AlKilani 18-19)
The above dialogue resonates deeply with the reader and helps them understand what she actually means by saying “I want more than it...” is that her would-be husband must agree to let Baraem keep her place and societal standing that she has worked hard to build and which everyone now respects in her village.
‘Masada’, who is Hasaballah's mother, summarizes this by saying "There is no one in the entire village dares to violate her commands , the mayor of the village bends to her. The local council cannot violate her orders. And the police officer bends to her in respect. She made favors to everyone. She built the mosque and rebuilt and maintained the school, and she opened the doors to the livelihood for many people." (AlKilani 86)
In the final chapters of the novel, Baraem courageously resists the marriage-fixing efforts of her uncles who have considerable influence in the area. She stands tall in stating that she will choose to marry the one who has the qualities that fits her, not those qualities which her uncles want such as wealth, parentage, and influence in the society.
Al-Kilani's depiction of Baraem's resistance until marrying whom she loved and chose, in the Arab village community, is considered an act of bravery by the writer Al-Kilani. This shows that Al-Kilani motivates women to push hard to get their rights and not surrender to injustice, and it is consistent with the image that he presented of Baraem at the beginning of his subject novel. Flying on his writing skills, the novelist indeed does succeed in making Baraem's character as a women's model , one that is rarely seen in the Arab world otherwise.
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