In this chapter, Said’s and Nur’s characters are further developed. Said’s characterization is interesting because of the narrating voice which gives us both a detailed overview of the novel’s plot development and an insight into Said’s thoughts and feelings at various parts of the novel.
Still driven by his hatred towards Nabawiyya, Ilish, and Rauf Ilwan, Said thinks of them with utter hate, believing that Rauf “might perhaps be thinking [he has] got rid of [him] forever…” (p.213) showing that although Rauf has let Said go, Said won’t let Rauf go without gaining his revenge. Said also believes that “with [his] revolver… [he] can do wonderful things [such as awakening] those who are asleep, [are] the root of the trouble [and are] the ones who’ve made creatures like Nabawiyya, Ilish and Rauf Ilwan possible.” (p.213) This reiterates the main point of Said’s still being driven by his hatred towards his ex-wife, ex-friend and ex-mentor, thus showing Said’s persistence at eventually gaining his revenge on those who have hurt him the most.
Said comes off as remorseful of his failed marriage to Nabawiyya, especially when Nur asks him whether or not “his people” (p.215) will ask about him. Instead of responding bitterly, Said says that he “has no people.” (p.215) Said sounds almost remorseful when he spoke of having no people. When Nur persists with her questions on his wife, Said decides to “close the subject” (p.215) implying that he doesn’t want to talk about it because it hurts too much because she no longer loves him and left him for his best friend. After being told that he deserved a better woman, Said simply says that he “neglected [Nabawiyya] far too much” (p.216) and that he “had no time for love then” (p.216). Again, the guilt in his voice suggests that Said blames himself for his failed marriage more so than he does Nabawiyya–if he had loved her more, then she wouldn’t have left him for Ilish.
Said comes off as manipulative of Nur’s feelings for him. When Nur tells Said she thought he would never show up, Said says that he had made a “definite promise” (p.214) to her and that he would be her “guest for quite some time” (p.215). When his motives for staying with her are questioned, Said tells Nur that he “came to [her] instead of anybody else” (p.216) for a reason. He then asks Nur if she thinks that he “can’t find anywhere else” (p.216) to stay. By showing her that he cares about her, Said is manipulating Nur’s feelings for him just so that Nur won’t object to keeping him safe and secure from his enemies. In other words, he’s putting up a façade so that she’ll give in to his requests and allow him to stay with her.
Nur’s character is further developed as she is portrayed as a woman whose actions are driven by her love for Said. When she finds out that Said had been waiting outside her flat for a long time, she runs “the rest of the way up [the stairs] and [stops] in front of him out of breath” (p.214) and apologizes for making him wait on the landing (p.215). Some may call it common courtesy, but I see it as a sign of Nur’s putting Said’s own comfort before her own. Nur even assists Said in obtaining a car by not only fooling one of her clients but by also fooling the local authorities when “they kept questioning (her) at the police station over and over” (p.214). This shows that Nur’s infatuation with Said is so large that she’s willing to deceive the law for his personal gain. When she finds out that Said and Nabawiyya are no longer together, Nur calls Nabawiyya a “bitch” and says that “[Nabawiyya] isn’t the kind of woman that deserves [to be with Said]” (p.215-216). By insulting his ex-wife, Nur attempts to get into Said’s good graces, and by saying that Nabawiyya isn’t what Said deserves, Nur implies that she is what Said deserves since “no one grieved as much as [she] did” (p.216) when Said went to prison.
Tags: Characterization, Ilish, Nabawiyya, Nur, Rauf, Revenge, Said
