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  • Essay / The Subordinate Role of Women in Somali Society in the Novels of Nuruddin Farah

    Close Sesame (1984) is Farah's third novel in the anti-government trilogy. This is Farah's third, most politically engaged phase. The novel explores the protests against Siad Barre and Barre's crucial secret assassination mission and the rationalization behind it. The plot of Close Sesame revolves around Deeriye, as his point of view does not change throughout the novel. He is a nationalist, pan-Africanist and Somali Muslim who has been a “Sayyidist” all his life. Deeriye is a patriarch of a large family and a fragile, strong, pious and free political figure. He has suffered from asthma for a long time and spends time in bed meditating, praying, listening to tapes of prayers and classical music, and talking with his loved ones. After defying Italian colonizers in 1940, he was sentenced to spend the next twelve years in prison, leading to isolation and psychological torture. He survived in prison thanks to his spiritual support and nothing frees him from the guilt of being an irresponsible father who is not there for his children when they grow up. Deeriye learns of her son, Mursal, who is plotting against Siad Barre's regime. This resulted in Mursal's death and to vindicate justice, Deeriye plots against the regime to defeat Siad Barre. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay All of Farah's novels incorporate certain themes: the subordinate role of women in Somali society and the need for their emancipation, the effects disastrous for competition between clans. and the struggle, the role of the traditional authoritarian patriarch and the central nature of the educated intelligentsia acting both as a force of opposition and maintenance of the existing regime. What differs between the novels is the emphasis placed on different common themes. The social concerns of Farah's earlier works, although represented in her later novels, gave way to explicit political issues during her evolution. After the completion of the triology, Farah spent years in restless travels and during this time he conceived plans for a new triology. . The future direction of Farah's writing became clear when her sixth novel, Maps, was published in early 1986. Farah's continuity as a socially and politically engaged author, willing to challenge the established status quo, is clearly indicated by the quote: “Life begins when you begin to doubt everything that came before you. The story is presented about the early childhood of a child who was taken in by a woman named Maliha, a "servant from elsewhere, from the north", and who is treated despicably by the members of his new community. In addition, reference is made to the child's father, who died in prison for his "political ideals", and to the North-South conflict that characterizes Somalia today. Examining female characters, as depicted in Nuruddin Farah's novels, reveals the political status of women in Somali society. According to their roles in the novel, these female characters are classified as the traditional Somali woman, the transitional Somali woman, the modern liberated Somali woman, and the modern Western woman. The traditional Somali woman is considered a second-class citizen who is repressed by men of their generation who belong to a traditional Muslim culture. Because she was born into a traditional Muslim culture where women do not have the same importance as men. Women do not receive formal education and are known to be.