Rishi Garg

IB English A1 – First Year

Mr. Ruff
2 September, 2008

Midaq Alley – Summer Reading Assignment

“In fact, she was really proud of him… her heart overflowed with a desire for
revenge” (75-79)

In this passage, Umm Hussain confronts her husband, Kirsha, about his
wrongdoings with the young boy in the café. She begins by thinking about
how she holds him in the highest respect, and that she loves everything
about him except for his one “abominable shortcoming”. This simple thought
serves as a prediction of what might come later in the book. Other
characters, like Kirsha, appear to lead normal lives in the eyes of the public.
However, each one of them has their own “abominable shortcoming”. For
example, later in the book, we learn that Hamida forgoes love for money
because of her insatiable greed. Everyone in the alley views Hamida as the
perfect bride for any respectable man, but only her foster mother knows the
truth. Abbas dies because of a similar secret; he appears to be a highly
regarded and well thought-of man, but his uncontrollable jealousy brings
about his life’s end.
In the end of this passage, Umm Hussain is extremely angry. In fact,
“her heart overflowed with a desire for revenge” (Mahfouz 79). She wishes
that she could fix the situation with her own hands. This is another prediction
into the rest of the book. Hamida takes her revenge on the entire alley by
leaving and selling herself into prostitution. Abbas attempts his revenge on
Hamida by throwing a mug at her.

This passage is essential to a reader’s understanding of the book as a

whole because it provides a glimpse into the future of the plot. It does so in a
manner that raises the reader’s expectations and hopes in a very subtle, yet
exciting way. This particular passage shows Mahfouz’s mastery of a delicate
style of writing in which much is revealed, but in a way that leaves the
reader with partial thoughts and guesses that will be completed later in the
book.