In their works, modern Arab novelists demonstrated their desire to promote their national values and national identity just like European writers did. The novels “Return of the Spirit” by Tawfiq Al-Hakim, “Midaq Alley” by Naguib Mahfouz, and “Season of Migration to the North” by Tayeb Salih are eloquent illustrations of the above-mentioned tendency. In the following paper, those novels will be discussed with the purpose to identify how the manner of presentation contributes to the development of Arab national thought. Overall, a conclusion can be made that Arab novelists aimed to facilitate the development of Arab national thought by means of depicting such social phenomena as the struggle for independence, search for meaningful philosophy of life and opposition to increased westernization and moral decay.
In his novel “Return of the Spirit”, Tawfiq Al-Hakim develops the themes of patriotism and the awakening of Egyptian spirit (Mugavin 4). The novel is focused on the events of the 1919 revolution in Egypt and the role of Arabian youth in it. This thought-provoking opus is the most expressive example showing how Arab novelists depicted Arab national identity including the central ideals, values, and ambitions (Mugavin 3).
Particularly, it provides social commentary on such important matters as nationalism, the role of foreigners in the life of Egyptian society, the reception of foreign culture, and the appreciation of the Egyptian soul. The latter point seems to be the most actively addressed by Al-Hakim. Evaluating this novel, the description of the Egyptian soul beauty is its strongest feature when it comes to the facilitation of Arab national thought development.
The novel “Midaq Alley” by Naguib Mahfouz is a multidimensional representation of the theme of nationalism in Arabic literature. In this novel, the Nobel Prize-winning Mahfouz performs amazingly by providing a detailed account of the life of Egyptian society in the 1940s (Mahfouz 24). The characters of the novel appear as strong, motivated, and very industrious people able to adapt to the conditions of extreme poverty and the post-war breakdown. The novel promotes an understanding of Arab national identity by demonstrating the strong features of people’s mentality. As the events shown in the novel develop, the audience becomes absolutely fascinated by Egyptians’ inner power and strong spirit. Thus, the book has played a key role in shaping Arab nationalism.
Finally, “Season of Migration to the North” by Tayeb Salih creates an image of Arab national identity by means of contrasting it with the western mentality. Particularly, the author utilizes the personage of Mustafa Sa’eed, who formerly studied in Britain and engaged in sinful practices that ruined his morality, to demonstrate what faithful Muslims are and what they are not. By observing Sa’eed’s behavior, the readers come to understand what moral decay is and how one should act to preserve one’s faith and avoid religious infidelity. In addition, contemplation of the character of Sa’eed contributes to understanding the increased westernization in Arab society in the middle of the 20th century (Jabbar 131).
Reflecting on the above-mentioned, Arab novelists put a lot of work into presenting Arab national identity. Moreover, their efforts contributed to the promotion of Arabian culture and values both at home and abroad. The major strategies Arab novelists implemented to achieve their goals were the depiction of the Arabian struggle for independence, search for meaningful philosophy of life and opposition to increased westernization and moral decay. Thus, it can be said that Arab novels had similar nationalist implications as the European ones.
Works Cited
Jabbar, Wisam Khalid Abdul. “The mimetic discourse in Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North.” Rocky Mountain Review 66.2 (2012): 130-142. Print.
Mahfouz, Naguib. Midaq Alley, New York: Anchor, 1991. Print.
Mugavin, Sheena Marie. “Language Usage in the Postrevolutionary Works of Tawfiq Al-Hdotbelow]Akim.” The University of Utah (2012): 1-73. Print.