Gender Roles In Mahfouz's Midaq Alley

Published in 1947, and later translated into many languages, Mahfouz's Midaq Alley is a novel that carries between its folds a deep analysis of life in Egypt during the times of World War II. The narrative is marked by its loose structure that traces an ensemble rather than a single protagonist. This has helped in shaping the main themes of the novel with how they cover topics of a broader nature. Gender roles in general, and the role of women in marriage in particular is one of the most prominent themes of the novel. Towards of the war, and with Egypt throwing off the shackles of the British rule, the female characters of the novel are emerging from beneath the gender roles that have stood for centuries. The change experienced by the

Moreover, the fact that she hates little children also puts her in an unfavorable light when it comes to how society views women and how they're always expected to pursue their roles as good wives and are thus expected to grow a love for children from a very young age. However, Hamida refuses to be put in that context and thinks of herself as better than getting pregnant and having to take care of kids. She wishes that Sheikh Darwish would be her husband but only because he was wealthy. She asks herself whether "it would be too mean" for Darwish to give her ten thousand pounds. Money is clearly the main thought in Hamida's mind, which is not uncommon amongst the younger generations. As for other women in Midaq Alley, many of them hold power over their husbands, which is the exact opposite of the norms of society back then. Husniya is depicted as a strong and fierce woman, and reverses the common scenario of domestic abuse when we see incidents of her beating her husband. Mrs. Saniya Afify is a self-sufficient woman whose situation best exhibits the complication of marriage.