Short Story Comparative Analysis

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the role of women and their function in society as portrayed in the short stories, "The Answer is No," by Naguib Mahfouz and "Girl," by Jamaica Kincaid. The stories are set in two different cultures, one Moslem and the other, Antiguan. The themes in Mahfouz's story include sexual exploitation and the negative role of women in Moslem society, while in Kincaid's story discusses how a young women should behave in society in order to attract a husband and keep him happy. Both of these stories illustrate how women are viewed as being inferior or submissive and how the women in these two stories decided to rebel against the norms.

From the Paper:

"Throughout the story, the readers will learn that the woman is a former tutee of the headmaster Badran Bandawi, and the apprehension and fear that she felt upon learning that he was to be the headmaster of their school was caused by a past experience when she was still a young woman, wherein Bandawi sexually took advantage of her in one of their teaching lessons. Bandawi justified the sexual molestation as acceptable, since he told the young woman that he'd marry her when she reaches the right age. The woman's refusal to marry stemmed from two reasons: she doesn't love Bandawi and she thinks the man wants to marry her for her money."

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