Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Day The Leader Was Killed by Naguib Mahfouz pg 67-103

Summary
Randa admits that she is not realy happy about marrying someone other that Elwan. She said that at het wedding she wore the inevitable mask of joy and that she would have to make it work and ajust to her new life. After the wedding a group of men from Anwar's job would come to thier house every night bearing gifts. They would serve them gifts and the men would stay there ad Randa would have to be courteous to them. At the same time she is annoyed with there persistant arrivals to their home. Anwar explains to Randa that the reason the men are comming over is related to buisness. Randa does not like this at all and one night decides to kick all the men out while they are having drinks. She gets in an argument with Anwar which results in her leaving the house.
Muhtashimi tells Elwan about Randa's divorce which leaves him feeling bewilderment, fear, and relief. One day Elawn tries to tell Randa that he still loves her, but she gets angry and tells him that she does not want to hear that word. She starts to get worried and angry as she wonders if Elwan and Gulstan because she knows that she wants him. After talking about it, Elwan assures Randa that he has no intension to marry Gulstan. After Randa lets out all her emotions and tells Elwan why her marrige ended. This leaves Elwan full of anger towards Anwar.
Elwan was walking and he past by Gulstan's villa and outside he sees Anwat's car parked outside. Elwan burst into the home and is greeted firt by Anwar. Elwan calls him a filthy man and punches him in the chest, and then Anwar falls to the floor. Gulstan appears and tells Elwan to stop beating him. They both help him to her bedroom and she returns to tell him that Anwar is dead. After suggesting to call the police to turn himself in, Gulstan refuses too. Instead to Elwans surprise, she makes up a story saying how Anwar had a heart condition and that there was no trace of blows. After the incident Elwan tells Randa about what happened. She tells him that she understands the decision he made and she too will not go to the police.
Quote
"I wore the inevitable mask of joy"(Mahfouz 71).
Reaction
After Randa got married to Anwar there is a lot of foreshadowing that it would end in a divorce. Her constant memories of her time with Elwan was much grater than anything she could of had with Anwar. Personaly it seemed as though she took the incidient with Anwar's buisness friedns as an excuse to end her marriage with Anwar and continuing her relationship with Elwan.

Monday, June 7, 2010

The Day The Leader Was Killed by Naguib Mahfouz pg 35-66

Summary
Randa's mother Zeinab Hanem comes to Muhtashimi's house, and asks him to help her stop Randa and Elwan from getting married because it is a big mistake and they are not ready. Zeinab believes that love misleads people and that it has become a god. After Muhtashimi talked to Elwan, he decided to break of the engagement with Randa. After he told Randa, she was devastated. Randa told Elwan that she knows he feels she is an obstacle in his way. But from Elwan's prospective, he was setting her free. He felt that he was ruining her future because they were so young. After they both walked back to their building without saying a word to each other, and without saying goodbye. Randa blames her mother for the end of her engagement which makes her feel bad. But Randa's father comes to his wife defence saying that she was not wrong and that Randa won't regret what happen int he future. Randa becomes angry with Elwan. She said that he proved he was weaker than she had imagined. And that he deserves to remain confused and aimless forever. While Elwan wanders sad and aimlessly, Muhtashimi wonders if Elwan considers him resonsible for his unhappiness.
As time goes on Randa and Elwan start to alk again and are able to collaborate at work like two colleagues. Randa also has started to date a new man, Anwar Allam. While eating with her parents, Randa's mother tries to get her to marry Ibrahim Bey, an elderly rich man who owns a mining factory, but Randa refuses. Soon after, Anwar Allam, asks Randa's hand in marriage which her and her parents agrees to. After the engagement party, Randa is with Sanaa in their room where she starts to burt out crying. Randa tells her sister how she is sad because she lost the most precious thing in her life, Elwan.
Quote
"We were divided by silence, a silence heavier than the approching night" (Mahfouz 42).
Reaction
Mahfouz uses the setting and environment to describe the events occuring in his story. Al ot of times he designs them to set the mood of what's going on. In the quote above, Elwan and Randa has just finish breaking off their engagement. Mahfouz adds to the tension by using personification to describe the silence between Elwan and Randa. And then to finish off he lets us know that night time is comming which creates a dark atmosphere.