Veiled Women · Chapter
XVII explained
In Paris, Barakah and the other women feel increasingly isolated and despondent as their husbands indulge in dissipation.
What happens
In Paris, Barakah and the other women feel increasingly isolated and despondent as their husbands indulge in dissipation. Barakah protests Yûsuf's behavior, leading to his tearful confession and a decision to leave Paris for Switzerland. After a scandalous incident involving the men and the police, the exiled Prince secures their release. The group quickly returns to Egypt, celebrating their escape from the corrupting influence of Europe. Later, the Prince visits, advocating for selective Western reforms while defending the harem system, leaving Barakah conflicted.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Clash and Identity
The stark contrast between Parisian and Egyptian lifestyles is central, with the characters feeling alienated and horrified by Western morals, yet drawn to certain aspects.
Gender Roles and Patriarchy
The men's freedom to explore Paris contrasts with the women's confinement and fear; the Prince's defense of the harem system underscores patriarchal control.
Colonialism and Imperial Power
The Prince's desire to borrow Western 'weapons' (mechanical contrivances, education) while resisting cultural assimilation reflects the complex dynamics of colonial influence.
Characters to notice
- Barakah
Feels despondent and isolated in Paris; protests Yûsuf's behavior and orchestrates their departure to Switzerland; later listens to the Prince's views with curiosity.
- Yûsuf Bey
Confesses to sin and sickness after a night of dissipation; agrees to leave Paris; reconciles with Hâfiz; dismisses the Prince's progressive ideas as 'pitch'.
- Bedr-ul-Budûr
Shares terrifying stories about infidels; expresses resignation about the men's behavior; rejoices at the decision to return to Egypt.
- Hâfiz Bey
Reconciles with Yûsuf; fears his uncle the Prince; reluctantly agrees to attend the Prince's club meetings.
- Saïd
Involved in the café scuffle; cut on the face; pleads with Barakah for forgiveness.
- Muhammad Pasha Sâlih
Not directly present, but referenced as the father who informed the Prince of their whereabouts.
Key passages
“What we are and do belongs to Allah. No thinking or wild talk affects it, praise to Him!”
Yûsuf dismisses the Prince's progressive ideas as irrelevant, asserting that their identity and actions are determined by God, not by intellectual debate.
Reflects Yûsuf's fatalistic and traditional worldview.
“It is a malady, a madness... It is the air of infidelity in this accursed city.”
Bedr-ul-Budûr attributes the men's behavior to the corrupting influence of Paris, viewing it as a sickness caused by the city's unbelief.
Highlights the theme of cultural clash and the perception of Western immorality.
“God forbid that I should wish our ladies to resemble closely those of Europe. If you desire that, you are very foolish. The harem life, or something like it, is the best for women.”
The Prince argues against full Westernization of gender roles, advocating for a reformed but separate harem system as superior to European practices.
Illustrates the tension between selective modernization and traditional patriarchy.