Tayeb Salih’s novel titled Season of Migration to the North revolves around relationships between men and women, although a critical analysis of the story reveals several themes, which include, among others, death and gender violence. A review of the scene in which Jean Morris, the main female character in the story, tells Mustafa to “come with her” while she is on the verge of death gives a concise view of her role in advancing the themes of death and gender violence. In this particular scene, Mustafa narrates how he pressed down a dagger on Jean Morris’ chest “until it had all disappeared between her breasts” (Salih 136). He could feel her blood gushing from the chest but started making love to her. Strangely, Jean Morris was only shouting, “Come with me. Come with me. Don’t let me go alone” (Salih 136).
Essentially, this scene could be interpreted as the embodiment of the gender violence theme in the novel, as Mustafa goes ahead to make love to a dying woman after stabbing her. The fact that Jean Morris beseeches her brutal lover to “come with her” indicates that she equally wished him death. However, this scene is a culmination of a series of incidents in which Jean Morris provokes Sa’eed to act violently, often challenging him to murder her. Jean’s utterances, as they reflect how she still dared Mustafa, in this scene teach the audience that gender violence was a precursor for death and self-destruction. Nevertheless, the narrator recounts Mustafa’s confession that he equally desired death, only that he was too afraid to commit suicide after murdering his lover. Hence, the scene featuring Jean Morris’ murder does not only contribute to gender violence and death but also serves as the epitome of these themes.
Reference
Salih, Tayeb. Season of Migration to the North. Translated by Denys Johnson-Davis, New York Review Books, 2009.