Arabic literature has undergone some changes since its inception with several writers having had a profound impact on what actually constitutes this genre today and one such writer is Naguib Mahfouz. Born in Egypt in 1911, Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most celebrated Arabic writers with some of his works gaining global recognition for their vivid depictions of the issues under discussion (Beard, 15).
His hard work and dedication saw Mr. Mahfouz being awarded with the Nobel literature prize in 1988 (Beard, 27). Ever since he continued to produce more works ranging from novels, short stories and plays. Mr. Mahfouz works have to a great extent been influenced by the experiences that he has had to undergo ever since he was a little child to his adult years.
Beard (36)notes that Mr. Mahfouz spent his early childhood years in Al-Jamliyya, a small working class town in the country’s capital city where his parents lived. This accorded him with an opportunity experience the various social economic challenges that the people living in such neighborhoods had to undergo.
Later on, Beard (40) asserts that Mr. Mahfouz parents moved on to live in the suburbs and this suburban life also had a profound impact in his life, an impact which is depicted in his literary works. As adult, Mr. Mahfouz got an opportunity to work as a civil servant and he managed to continue writing even as he performed his duties as a civil servant (Beard, 52).
In addition to his life experiences, Mr. Mahfouz work has also greatly been impacted by his educational background which culminated in him graduating from Cairo University with a degree in philosophy (Beard, 57).
This paper will analyse one of Mr. Mahfouz short stories titled Qismati and Nasibi, a short story about two conjoined twins who have to deal with the challenges that have arisen due to their situation and also face deal with the discrimination that they have to face as a result of this situation in the modern day Egyptian society.
Diversity and how such diversity is addressed has always been a major issue when it comes to societal cohesiveness. Diversity in this context refers to the variations of individuals that make up the greater society and these variations might exist in different fronts including religion, culture and even sexual orientation.
There are various reasons that can be attributed to the diverse nature of human beings including genetic make-up, life experiences, a person’s environmental surroundings and a person’s life goals or ambitions. Starting with genetic make-up, each and every person has a unique set of DNA that is responsible for their uniqueness as a person, influencing how they behave and how they perceive life in general.
Genetic make-up might be influenced by a person’s parental heritage but this does not imply that the person will behave the same way as their parents. When it comes to life experiences, different people are faced with different challenges and opportunities in life and this influences the way they perceive various societal issues such as the value for hard work and discipline.
A person’s environment is also a key determinant when it comes to determining their uniqueness since the environment accords people with an opportunity to observe various life aspects and make their own decisions accordingly. Finally, when it comes to individual goals and ambitions, each and every person has their own set of goals that they aim to achieve and this usually impacts the way they carry out their day to day activities.
The story of Qismati and Nasibi is offers a great insight into the influence of diversity on society and the repercussions of failing to recognise this diversity (Al-Ghetani, 47). These two boys were born conjoined twins at a time when such an issue was a great abomination in the Egyptian society. Their very birth triggered a myriad of emotions among various parties involved including their own parents (Al-Ghetani, 50).
For instance, the midwife who assisted in delivering the twins saw this as an abomination and wished for the kids not to have been born. The children’s father Mr. Mohsen Khalil saw them as a cause of misery that will make both him and his wife the laughing stock of the family.
Despite the mixed reactions on the birth of the two babies, their parents were able to get around their own shock ad decided to accept them for who they were rather than wish for them to be something that they were not (Al-Ghetani, 52).
The problem however came about when the boys grew up and they themselves had difficulties in accepting not only their collective diversity as conjoined twins in a society where such people are rare, but also their personal diversity in terms of behaviour, likes and preferences.
This inability to accept their situation and to accept their own personal differences was responsible for a lot of conflicts that the children had to endure during the course of their lives (Al-Ghetani, 56).
Plot Summary
Mohsen Khalil and Sitt Anabaya have been married for several years. According to the story, this couple seems to have been blessed by everything else except the gift of off springs and this situation starts getting the better of them.
Years into their marriage and after having resigned to their fate as far as their prospects of getting an offspring is concerned, Mohsen Khalil and Sitt Anabaya are startled by the News of Anabaya’s pregnancy and they await anxiously for the arrival of their new born baby. This excitement gives way to surprise and bewilderment when Sitt Anabaya finally delivers and discovers that she has given birth to conjoined twins that cannot be separated.
Both the nurse and the doctor who assist in delivering the baby are astonmished by this turn of events with the midwife wishing that the kids were never born. From the time they arrive into this world the twins, Qismat and Nasibi have to make adjustments in their lives in order to accommodate each other’s unique needs.
The diversity of the two kids start to reveal itself soon after they are born whereby, whereas Qismat is always quite and asleep most of the time, Nasibi is playful and does not like to sleep as much as his brother does. As they grow older, the two kids become distinctly different in terms of physical appearance and character.
On the one hand, Nasibi is playful and prefers to spend most of his time outdoors interacting with other people. On the other hand, Qismati is sort of an introvert and prefers to spend his time indoors reading and amassing new knowledge. This unique variation in character is also reveled when their father finally decides that the kids are old enough to attend school.
At school, Qismat proves to be the more attentive of the two easily grasping concepts that they are being taught while his brother is always distracted by many things and in the process interfering with Nasibi’s concentration. This fundamental difference in character implies that the twins have to make great sacrifices in order to accommodate each other’s interests and it this aspect of their relationship that becomes the source of a major conflict that they will have to endure as long as they are both alive.
The children grow up to reach adolescence and during this period, both of them develop feelings for the same girl Samiha and this also becomes another source of a major conflict that sees the two of them engaging in a physical fight. Samiha is one of the few girls that used to play with the two kids when they were little and having herself reached the age of adolescence, Samiha starts developing feminine features characteristic of girls her age.
Samiha’s development doers not go unnoticed by the twins who in their own individualistic ways, have both developed strong feelings for her. This mutual attraction for Samiha becomes a major source of conflict and brings to the fray deep seated issues that both twins have with both viewing the other as a great obstacle to their enjoyment of life.
Later when the twins are old enough, their father tries to introduce them to the family business but this plan is later shelved because of the societal perception of the two. The culmination of the story is the death of Nasibi after a short illness and because it is impossible to separate the two twins, Nasibi’s dead body has to be mummified and consequently, Qismati has to go through life carrying the weight of his brother’s dead body.
Discussion
This story is an allusion to the modern day Egyptian society. Just like in any modern society, Egyptian society has to grasp the challenges that have been brought about by modernization including the aspect of diversity which at times manifest in the form of variations in religious and cultural views that eventually become the bedrock of society.
The application of this story is not only limited to the modern day Egyptian society, but in each and every society no matter how big or small; diversity of views touching on various aspects of society is a commonplace. In some countries, this diversity has led to major conflicts that have resulted to the many people losing their lives.
The story of Qismati and Nasibi depicts some of the difficulties that can be brought about in society of we fail to recognise each other’s unique characteristics (Al-Ghetani, 48). In any given society, each individual is unique and different from the other and in order for society to function normally and attain its overall objectives, each person has to appreciate the uniqueness of the other and accommodate each other’s views a and behavior that directly result from this uniqueness.
The two twins fail to recognise and accommodate each other’s unique aspects and this result to a constant state of conflict that they have to endure until one of them eventually dies (Al-Ghetani, 53).
Works Cited
Al-Ghitani, Gamal. The Mahfouz Dialogs. New York: American University in Cairo Press, 2007
Beard, Michael & Haydar, Adnan. Naguib Mahfouz: From Regional Fame to Global Recognition. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1993