Veiled Women · Chapter
XVI explained
The group travels to Paris, where the women experience culture shock and confinement while the men explore the city.
What happens
The group travels to Paris, where the women experience culture shock and confinement while the men explore the city. Barakah navigates her role as a cultural intermediary, and tensions arise between the sexes, culminating in a jealous fight between Yûsuf and Hâfiz. Bedr-ul-Budûr and Barakah form a bond, and the chapter explores the clash between Eastern and Western customs.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Clash and Identity
The group's struggles with French customs, clothing, and social expectations highlight the tension between Eastern and Western identities.
Gender Roles and Patriarchy
The men's freedom to explore Paris contrasts with the women's confinement, and the fight over Barakah underscores male possessiveness.
Female Friendship and Solidarity
Barakah and Bedr-ul-Budûr form a supportive bond, sharing a cabin and confiding in each other against the backdrop of male dominance.
Characters to notice
- Barakah
Acts as a cultural guide for the men and a confidante for the women, struggling with her own sense of displacement.
- Yûsuf Bey
Jealous and possessive, he feigns sleep to spy on Hâfiz and later attacks him in a fit of rage.
- Bedr-ul-Budûr
A pet slave of Hâfiz's mother, she is terrified of the sea and clings to Barakah for comfort and solidarity.
- Hâfiz Bey
Makes advances toward Barakah, leading to a violent confrontation with Yûsuf.
- Fitnah Khânum
Not directly present, but referenced as the 'kind princess' who advised Bedr-ul-Budûr on proper attire.
Key passages
“When she smilingly assured him there was none, he cried: “O Lord of Heaven! Then thou wilt not tell it. They are so easy to their own men, as we know from books; to us so difficult. It cannot be fanaticism, since we seem as Franks.””
When Barakah laughed off his request, the young man exclaimed that she must be hiding the secret, since Frankish women are supposedly easy with their own men but not with them, despite their Westernized appearance.
Highlights the men's exoticized view of European women and their frustration with cultural barriers.
““By Allah, I feel naked in the middle.” So did Barakah. To one accustomed to go shrouded, a dress which emphasized the hips and bust seemed vile at first.”
Both women felt exposed and uncomfortable in Western clothing, which accentuated their figures in ways that violated their sense of modesty.
Illustrates the clash of dress codes and bodily norms between cultures.
““Saw one ever such fanaticism?” groaned Yûsuf. “And they call this country free—a place where everyone does what he likes!””
Yûsuf complained bitterly about the public reaction to their behavior, sarcastically noting that France's supposed freedom felt oppressive.
Reveals the irony of perceived Western freedom clashing with social conformity.