The Wedding Chapter and Hypocrisy

The wedding chapter

            There seems to be a lot of contradictions in this chapter, mostly on the part of al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad.  He is jovial when there is nothing to celebrate, and at a wedding he is more reserved than ever.  He is disgusted by his family having a good time, which is so obviously hypocritical since every night he is drunk and rambunctious.  When Kamal accidentally sees him, and a friend calls him over, he must pretend he is disgusted by the music.  He gives all of the answers that his father would insist upon, but it is not good enough because they know he is lying.  His father then tells his friends that he is a cub of the lion, meaning he is a lot like the father.  This is probably the nicest thing that al-Sayyid says about the boy, and he is proud that he can sing but would never admit to singing.  I am having a hard time figuring out why Mahfouz made the father figure such a hypocritical and, honestly, horrible character.  He is angry constantly yet revered like a holy figure.  I could appreciate him as a character if the hypocrisy is intentional, and shows that the patriarchal system is faulty, but it also seems like we might actually be supposed to respect him. 

            He also compares the bridegroom to a bull, but means for it to be an insult.  By calling him a bull he means that he looks lazy, like he will only eat grass all day.  In our society, referring to a man as a bull would be a testament to his strength and ferocity.  However, al-Sayyid means quite the opposite.  This might be a language or societal divide that is not intended by the author, but as I read it I saw a major contradiction.  It seems as though he is trying so hard to be angry that he does not realize he is insulting someone with a compliment.  The father seems like the kind of man who would appreciate a bull type man, since he is so stubborn and angry.  However, he would prefer that his daughters did not have to marry since they might end up with a man who will divorce them.  That’s rather interesting, since he divorced his first wife and just recently threw his perfect wife Amina out of his house.  Basically, what I perceive, is that he is afraid they will end up with a man like him, yet he would never admit that, since he thinks so highly of himself.  He also does not want a husband who will let her have fun, since that is completely against his fake principles that he does not abide by every night. 

            I hope that the Nobel committee chose this author because he is working against this type of character and not praising him.  His level of severity makes his family, especially his wife and daughters, prisoners to his will.  I firmly believed that the character was an exaggeration until Professor Elsherif seemed confused by our distaste for him.  He gave the impression that there were many men during the time period of this novel that would have been as strict or more intense than the father.  So, as far as the novel is concerned, is it a conscious attempt at mocking a man like him, or are we supposed to respect his hypocrisy?