Transformations: The Changes Muslim Women Experience when they are Strong, Smart and Brave :: Arab Muslim Women Essays

Transformations The Changes Muslim Women Experience when they are Strong, Smart and Brave Works Cited MissingMany stereotypes present in modern twenty-four hour period society portray Arab women, or more precisely, Muslim women, as having little to no independence or power. These stereotypes assert that Muslim women are oppressed both(prenominal) physically and psychologically, and that as a result of such outrageous treatment these women are psychologically weak. As with all stereotypes, this is a misconception. Blanket statements announcing one assemblage of people as exhibiting the same characteristics are patently incorrect. The stereotype that Muslim women are all psychologically dependent can never be judged true, because in that respect are always, always, exceptions to such statements. Thanks to the literary talents of three Muslim women authors who demonstrate they are the exception to such a rule, the lives of three powerful and mentally longsighted Muslim women are de scribed in detail and reveal how strong Muslim women, or any woman for that matter can truly be. In Fadia Faqirs Pillars of Salt the main character experiences a transformation from a dutiful daughter to a strong, liberated woman after the closing of her husband. During Leila Al-Atrashs A Woman of Five Seasons another female protagonist experiences mental rebellion as she copes with conflicting emotions about the man she loves and the man she is hypothetic to love. Last, in Liyana Badrs novella A Land of Rock and Thyme. The woman in this story displays tremendous valor and courage when faced with unfathomable tragedies that deepen her deportment forever. The common correlation throughout these novels is the amazing carriage, intellect, and courage each character displays and how each woman grows stronger as a result of the tragic events that extrapolate their lives.Fadia Faqirs Pillars of Salt follows Maha and the events in her life that gradually convince her society that she is insane. In truth Maha matures through these events and as an unfortunate result her independence, strength and emotions are translated by society as signs of mental instability. Ironically, Maha is perhaps most mentally stable at the close of the story while institutionalized. Throughout her life Maha demonstrated growing strength in many ways. From an early age she was the sole caretaker of her fathers farm. She would sew and cook and tend the garden and do all of the chores that were meant to be done by her brother, Daffash. Her tenacious resolve to make her father happy and to let him live a pleasant life was much thwarted by Daffashs wayward excursions into the city.