Modernization in Pillars of Saltby Fadia Faqir

Reading response: Theme of Tradition/ Modernization in "Pillars of Salt" by Fadia Faqir
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Reading response: Theme of Tradition/ Modernization in "Pillars of Salt" by Fadia Faqir
"Pillars of Salt" is a very practical novel by Jordanian author Fadia Faqir. It was published in 1996 and focuses on the lives, treatment and experiences of women within Arabic settings. Unquestionably, women form the novel’s focal characters. In fact, the plot involves the story of two women, Maha and Um Saad or Hanniyeh, sharing a room in an asylum or rather institution for the mentally ill in Jordan. In a unique way, the author challenges her readers in that the story is not about how the women are in the asylum but about why they are there, which the reader only realizes at the end of the novel. These women dared to stand against the wants and opinions of men over their lives. In other words, Faqir endeavors to indicate just how women in the Arab and or Muslim world in general are mistreated by men, how they are considered as weak in all aspects and not worthy of say over any social, economical and political aspects.
The theme discussed hereunder involves traditional rules, norms and regulations that govern social behavior of women within Arab- Muslim societies, which are characterized by protective male structures. It is important to note that aspects of modernization, unlike in the western world, have not changed much of the traditions in the East in this regard. Throughout the novel, Faqir focuses on traditional roles of women in the Arab world. The mythologies and cultural traditions of feminity and masculinity are as disparate as demonstrated in the realities faced by the characters. It is also clear to the naked eye that Faqir story depicts a serious subject matter for the modern-day societies of the world. It is also true that the very vital and contradictory experiences (in regards to how women are treated) she had in Jordan and the UK formed the inspiration for her writing
All the same, Faqir demonstrates how socio-political ideologies and orientation affect the lives of women in the Middle East. The self-conscious character Maha, for instance, is deeply distressed by the passing on of her husband because of political-instigated fighting. She is both unhappy and unfortunate, this is especially since her desires to have her share of land and power over her life remain very frustrated, and as such she finds herself in a state of self-depression.
Another aspect of tradition in the novel ...