d sexual allure.Hamida, when she begins her romance with Abbas, finds ways to manipulate the man so she can get what she wants. She deceives the one who truly loves her, because she knows he will not give her the wealth and adventure she desires. It forces him to leave the place he likes to live and become a man he shouldn't have been. Stephanie Hasenfus explains it very simply in her article, “Destroy or Be Destroyed: Wrestling with Toxic Social Structures in Naguib Mahfouz's Midaq Alley.” He states, “Hamida turns marriage into a tactical endeavor from which he hopes to maximize the potential luxury in his life” (Hasenfus 99). Hamida does this by intentionally displaying her beauty and comparing herself to other women. According to the text: “He was well aware of his attire; a faded cotton dress, an old cloak and shoes with time-worn soles. However, she draped the cloak in such a way as to highlight her wide hips and full, round breasts. The cloak revealed her neat ankles, on which she wore a bracelet; he also showed off his black hair and attractive bronze face” (Mahfouz 21-22). And: “She walked together with her companions, proud of the knowledge of her beauty, impregnable in the armor of her sharp tongue, and happy that the eyes of passers-by rested on her more than on others” (Mahfouz 23). Hamida is not only a beautiful girl with an unfeminine attitude, but she also knows how to attract men with these attributes. Hasenfus powerfully acknowledges this, saying, “For Hamida, staying single inevitably means letting old age steal her beauty while she remains stuck in the alley. She recognizes that her beauty is her only advantage, her only source of power. Her beauty allows her to seduce men and, therefore, control them” (Hasenfus 99). Along with sexual allure, women in the novel have other ways of proving themselves superior to men. Beauty is a strong asset used to dominate, but being able to tactfully use it as a ploy for the ultimate goal requires cunning and deceptive strength. In Hamida's story, we already know that she is independent, strong and deceitful with one goal in mind: to marry an uncommon man who possesses unparalleled wealth. Hasenfus explains, describing Hamida's goals and the modernity of her ways, that "in this forward-thinking way, she turns marriage into a tactical endeavor from which she hopes to maximize the potential luxury in her life" (Hasenfus 99). It is no mystery how Hamida subtly deceives the men around her. Her beauty is used in a skillful display of her dominance. Abbas is determined to marry her and, due to his desire for wealth, feels compelled to leave the alley to work for the British Army, although he is quite happy with the way things are. In the novel, Hamida is only interested in his idea of working in the war to earn more money, and “if he were successful, he could certainly provide her with some of the things she wanted. A nature like his, however rebellious and unmanageable, could be pacified and tamed with money” (Mahfouz 46). Hamida is a great example of a woman who uses deception to get what she wants, but she's not the only woman in the alley. Yet another woman uses touch to achieve her goal, despite her advanced age. Miss Afify and Umm Hamida trick a younger man into marrying Miss Afify by buying her gold teeth and giving the man a younger image of herself. Miss Afify is an elderly widow who recently decided to remarry. The text doesn't specify exactly why he decided this, but Oersen has a surprising way of looking at it. He says: “It seems that over the years Mrs. Saniyya Afify has becomefound himself increasingly isolated from society. Despite her wealth, she has no social status because she is an unmarried woman." (Oersen 57). This makes a lot of sense when you look at women at the time. Women in that time and place could be very wealthy and prosperous, but without being married they did not have the title of a prosperous individual. A title is given to a man, therefore, to have a high place in society, a woman must be married. Unfortunately, Oersen states that, “Through the character of Mrs. Afify, it can be assumed that even wealth and numerous political changes in favor of women are not enough to crush traditional social mores” (Oersen 58). However, Saniyya Afify achieves this marriage in a comical and unconventional way. Because she misses her youthful beauty, she and Umm Hamida devise a plan to deceive the partner Umm Hamida has found for her. The two begin by discussing the man, his work and his wealth. Then Umm Hamida says that she wanted a photo of Miss Afify, to which this dialogue takes place: The widow became agitated and blushed as she said: "There, I haven't had my photo taken in a long time." “Don't you have an old photo?” He pointed to a photo on the bookcase in the center of the room. Umm Hamida bent down and examined it carefully. The photo must have been over six years old, taken at a time when Ms. Afify still had some fullness and life in her. He looked at the photo, then returned to the subject. "Excellent likeness. Could have been taken just yesterday." “May God reward you generously,” sighed Mrs. Afify. Umm Hamida put the photograph, with its frame, in her pocket and lit the cigarette that had been offered to her (Mahfouz 64). Not only are they giving the man an old photo of Miss Afify, but Umm Hamida also tells him that she is in her late 40s and not the late 50s that she is. Along with this deception, Mrs. Afify purchases a set of gold teeth to hide the fact that her teeth are rotten and fall out with age. For her part, Hamida not only deceives Abbas at the beginning, cunningly sending him to make wealth for herself, but also deceives him later, after becoming a prostitute. Gohar says that “when he met Abbas in part thirty-two, he cunningly moved him against Farag to get rid of both males according to the critical charges” (Gohar 56). Hamida longs to get out of her situation, but is disgusted by the thought of returning to the alley and living with Abbas for the rest of her life. Its deceptive strength takes hold of her and, once again, leads Abbas to do something he would never do. Hussain tries to warn Abbas and, being like a brother to Hamida, sees through her beauty and deception. Oersen says Hussain's reaction is harsh but entirely in line with traditional social values.... Abbas believes that the man must be punished, and although Hussain agrees, his absolute disgust towards Hamida is expressed as follows: "Why didn't you kill her?" If I were in your place I wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. I would have strangled her on the spot, then slaughtered her lover and disappeared… That's what you should have done, you fool!'” (Oersen 59). Hamida's deception can only go so far, and while it works on Abbas, Hussain is immune to it. There is another man who is immune to Hamida's deceitful ways, and he leads us to the last section, revealing how, although the women in the novel try to be the dominant sex, they ultimately fail due to social mores and beliefs. This man is Ibrahim Farah. Hamida is the most important key to seeing the strength that the women of this culture possess. She represents Egypt as a whole and allows Farah to take advantage of her just to prove how strong she is. By allowing the man to dominate her at all times, she feels like she is gaining the upper hand and575792.

Topic > d sexual allure.Hamida, when she begins her romance with Abbas, finds ways to manipulate the man so she can get what she wants. She deceives the one who truly loves her, because she knows he will not give her the wealth and adventure she desires. It forces him to leave the place he likes to live and become a man he shouldn't have been. Stephanie Hasenfus explains it very simply in her article, “Destroy or Be Destroyed: Wrestling with Toxic Social Structures in Naguib Mahfouz's Midaq Alley.” He states, “Hamida turns marriage into a tactical endeavor from which he hopes to maximize the potential luxury in his life” (Hasenfus 99). Hamida does this by intentionally displaying her beauty and comparing herself to other women. According to the text: “He was well aware of his attire; a faded cotton dress, an old cloak and shoes with time-worn soles. However, she draped the cloak in such a way as to highlight her wide hips and full, round breasts. The cloak revealed her neat ankles, on which she wore a bracelet; he also showed off his black hair and attractive bronze face” (Mahfouz 21-22). And: “She walked together with her companions, proud of the knowledge of her beauty, impregnable in the armor of her sharp tongue, and happy that the eyes of passers-by rested on her more than on others” (Mahfouz 23). Hamida is not only a beautiful girl with an unfeminine attitude, but she also knows how to attract men with these attributes. Hasenfus powerfully acknowledges this, saying, “For Hamida, staying single inevitably means letting old age steal her beauty while she remains stuck in the alley. She recognizes that her beauty is her only advantage, her only source of power. Her beauty allows her to seduce men and, therefore, control them” (Hasenfus 99). Along with sexual allure, women in the novel have other ways of proving themselves superior to men. Beauty is a strong asset used to dominate, but being able to tactfully use it as a ploy for the ultimate goal requires cunning and deceptive strength. In Hamida's story, we already know that she is independent, strong and deceitful with one goal in mind: to marry an uncommon man who possesses unparalleled wealth. Hasenfus explains, describing Hamida's goals and the modernity of her ways, that "in this forward-thinking way, she turns marriage into a tactical endeavor from which she hopes to maximize the potential luxury in her life" (Hasenfus 99). It is no mystery how Hamida subtly deceives the men around her. Her beauty is used in a skillful display of her dominance. Abbas is determined to marry her and, due to his desire for wealth, feels compelled to leave the alley to work for the British Army, although he is quite happy with the way things are. In the novel, Hamida is only interested in his idea of working in the war to earn more money, and “if he were successful, he could certainly provide her with some of the things she wanted. A nature like his, however rebellious and unmanageable, could be pacified and tamed with money” (Mahfouz 46). Hamida is a great example of a woman who uses deception to get what she wants, but she's not the only woman in the alley. Yet another woman uses touch to achieve her goal, despite her advanced age. Miss Afify and Umm Hamida trick a younger man into marrying Miss Afify by buying her gold teeth and giving the man a younger image of herself. Miss Afify is an elderly widow who recently decided to remarry. The text doesn't specify exactly why he decided this, but Oersen has a surprising way of looking at it. He says: “It seems that over the years Mrs. Saniyya Afify has becomefound himself increasingly isolated from society. Despite her wealth, she has no social status because she is an unmarried woman." (Oersen 57). This makes a lot of sense when you look at women at the time. Women in that time and place could be very wealthy and prosperous, but without being married they did not have the title of a prosperous individual. A title is given to a man, therefore, to have a high place in society, a woman must be married. Unfortunately, Oersen states that, “Through the character of Mrs. Afify, it can be assumed that even wealth and numerous political changes in favor of women are not enough to crush traditional social mores” (Oersen 58). However, Saniyya Afify achieves this marriage in a comical and unconventional way. Because she misses her youthful beauty, she and Umm Hamida devise a plan to deceive the partner Umm Hamida has found for her. The two begin by discussing the man, his work and his wealth. Then Umm Hamida says that she wanted a photo of Miss Afify, to which this dialogue takes place: The widow became agitated and blushed as she said: "There, I haven't had my photo taken in a long time." “Don't you have an old photo?” He pointed to a photo on the bookcase in the center of the room. Umm Hamida bent down and examined it carefully. The photo must have been over six years old, taken at a time when Ms. Afify still had some fullness and life in her. He looked at the photo, then returned to the subject. "Excellent likeness. Could have been taken just yesterday." “May God reward you generously,” sighed Mrs. Afify. Umm Hamida put the photograph, with its frame, in her pocket and lit the cigarette that had been offered to her (Mahfouz 64). Not only are they giving the man an old photo of Miss Afify, but Umm Hamida also tells him that she is in her late 40s and not the late 50s that she is. Along with this deception, Mrs. Afify purchases a set of gold teeth to hide the fact that her teeth are rotten and fall out with age. For her part, Hamida not only deceives Abbas at the beginning, cunningly sending him to make wealth for herself, but also deceives him later, after becoming a prostitute. Gohar says that “when he met Abbas in part thirty-two, he cunningly moved him against Farag to get rid of both males according to the critical charges” (Gohar 56). Hamida longs to get out of her situation, but is disgusted by the thought of returning to the alley and living with Abbas for the rest of her life. Its deceptive strength takes hold of her and, once again, leads Abbas to do something he would never do. Hussain tries to warn Abbas and, being like a brother to Hamida, sees through her beauty and deception. Oersen says Hussain's reaction is harsh but entirely in line with traditional social values.... Abbas believes that the man must be punished, and although Hussain agrees, his absolute disgust towards Hamida is expressed as follows: "Why didn't you kill her?" If I were in your place I wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. I would have strangled her on the spot, then slaughtered her lover and disappeared… That's what you should have done, you fool!'” (Oersen 59). Hamida's deception can only go so far, and while it works on Abbas, Hussain is immune to it. There is another man who is immune to Hamida's deceitful ways, and he leads us to the last section, revealing how, although the women in the novel try to be the dominant sex, they ultimately fail due to social mores and beliefs. This man is Ibrahim Farah. Hamida is the most important key to seeing the strength that the women of this culture possess. She represents Egypt as a whole and allows Farah to take advantage of her just to prove how strong she is. By allowing the man to dominate her at all times, she feels like she is gaining the upper hand and575792.