Introduction
The novel “Midaq Alley” by Naguib Mahfouz is a novel with many characters that live in a poor neighborhood called Midaq Alley during the Second World War. Among the protagonists are Umm Hamida, a marriage broker and bath attendant, her daughter, who was pimped by Ibraham Faraj; Hussain Kirsha, a café owner who is betrayed by his wife and Salim Alwan, a young barbershop owner. All the characters are encircled in the atmosphere of the Alley that participates in the lives of its inhabitants.
The Alley is a microcosm of the world
Midaq Alley is a teeming street in Cairo, which is described by the author as the microcosm of the world. The Alley consists of two houses with three flats each and several shops. The street is the reflection of the Arabic culture with all its peculiarities. In comparison with the rest of the town, it represents a gap between modern life and the ancient world, between past and future. Alley is a kind of refuge in the past and is keen on the revival of the traditions. The characters that inhabit the poor neighborhood are at a loss since they have no hope for a better future.
The conflict of the new and the old also reflects the soul of the street
The conflict of the new and the old also reflects the soul of the street. Without having an obvious plot, the novel’s idea is already set at the beginning of the book. Each inhabitant of Midaq Alley is a part of history and Arabic tradition. First, we see a poet who entertains the public by the Arabic folks and is rejected by café attendants who strives to replace the past with an act of modernization that cannot co-exist together. The author shows that it is impossible to introduce the new until the old is eliminated.
The contrast of the world of the Alley and the world beyond it
In the novel, the author shows an obvious contrast between the world of the Alley and the world beyond that postulates the main theme of the novel. These two worlds are isolated and interacted at the same time so that Mahfouz managed to depict them from the perspective of its inhabitants (Mahfouz, 1).
The population of the Midaq Ally is socially structured where Salim Alwan belongs to the top of the social ladder. The other residents of the street are on the lower social level. For instance, Mu’allim Kirssha is a café proprietor and the holder of other café owners in this location. Anyway, both residents and strangers are under the influence of the ageless Alley that does not perceive the time but only reflects the events and people. Mahfouz’s description of the Alley is a place that is stuck in time. However, people that reside here do their best to return to reality. As it was mentioned before, the contrast between the contrasting worlds is expressed in the season time and the actual appearance. The Alley is also are reflected by the physical features of its inhabitants. Thus, Uncle Kamil has an ageless look (Mahfouz, 2).
Conclusion
In the novel, the author uses such device as personification, since it acquires its appearance using a depiction of the lives of its residents. The Alley depicts a peculiar world contrasting the world beyond. All the events that it experiences overwhelm it with eternal virtues and indifference. By this, Mahfouz intends us to say that the Midaq Alley is dead and the only way out is to liberate humanity from it.
Works Cited
Mahfouz, Naguib. Midaq Alley US: Anchor Books Edition, 1992.