In the book “In the Country of Men”, Hisham Matar, the author discusses his childhood encounter in the 1970’s during the innovation in Libya. The time when ever men overpowered and totally dominated girls. The title alone describes Libya as a country that is owned by men exactly where women are being used like equipment.
We see that Suleiman would like to become a guy as soon as possible through the story however, the story as well talks about a lady being Suleiman’s mother , Najwa who have thinks she lost her freedom the moment she was just 16 and had to get married.
Nevertheless , after all the development from the 70’s till today, the current generation considers both men and women equally power. Right from the starting, it is usually predicted that Suleiman would like to be a guy. When effaré goes on the so called “business trip, Suleiman is the simply male at home making him the man of the home. It is just the way how effaré says this every time he leaves , “Take proper care of your mother, you are the man of the house now” (61). Suleiman manages these duties very well.
This individual takes care of his mother when he knows well that the girl with ill whenever baba is definitely not house and wants to take over a men’s responsibility of taking good care of his mom. He possibly talks about him willing to have responsibilities like his dad and be exactly like him, a man. Later inside the story, we also start to see the cult of masculinity desire through Suleiman when he as well as the other neighborhood kids were at Adnan’s house to think about him inserting an injection in himself due to his illness. “I also prayed for a ailment that would give me what Adnan had” (126).
Suleiman believes that Adnan’s disease makes him seem to be older plus more independent like a man. As a result Suleiman desires to have Adnan’s illness in order that he also could be just like a man. “I couldn’t wait to be a man” (148). Suleiman’s words prove how he wants to turn into a man and does not want to fall into baby’s category. However , on the other side, you may still find clues provided throughout the tale that confirm how Suleiman has failed as a man. For instance , during the visit of the RCC (Revolutionary Committee Men) to Baba’s house to find Étonné and any kind of evidence against him. “I was wet beneath my clothes and realized what I had completed.
The pee felt warm and cold and sticky to my own skin (64). When the RCC man acquired asked him about his father, Suleiman gets worried and pees himself not being able to control him. Even though he was the “man of the house this incident proves him as a child who are not able to control himself. Another example was when Najwa tells Suleiman about how exactly Faraj, whom she hailed from, and all the other males out there needed to puncture his wife’s veil and bleed her to prove his wife as being a virgin. “I didn’t know very well what Mama meant, but feared that when time came I might not have what it takes to ‘puncture’ a women (13).
Suleiman fears he may not be able to the actual duty that each man is always to do to prove his wife a virgin. Despite the fact that there are some required a man that Suleiman provides fulfilled, this individual still questions if he may be able to certainly be a real man just like his father was. Najwa, Suleiman’s mom, because she love to say, shed her liberty when the lady was simply 14 years older. She have been forced to get married to a completely odd man who had been 9 years older than her even though the girl wanted to total her education first. Your woman being the girl was not possibly allowed to deny the marriage and even argue to protect herself. The High Authorities decided my personal fate” (144). When she says “High Council” it meant all the men in the house ” her father and all her brothers. Right here we see that women had no choices but for obey the actual males approximately called “High Council” stated. Also the sole reason why the family to marry Najwa as quickly as possible is really because one of her brother experienced seen her with one other guy same age as her in the Italian Cafe and so they planned to get rid of her before an individual can propagate rumors about them and ruin their standing.
In a family members like Najwa’s, members cared more regarding the family’s reputation then simply ever patient about a woman. She remembered her grandmother say to her “If a slave reached propose, a slave because black because this night, I would offer you to him”(144). This certainly proven that girls/women did not have virtually any right to speak up for themselves. They were merely there to keep their men happy and follow their very own orders. After the “Black day” , time she got forced to get married to baba, her life not changed very much.
The girl with only presently there to keep étonné happy as he is the guy of the house. When baba is usually away she’s ill. The lady starts drinking alcohol as a symptom of depression because of the freedom she has lost. So when baba returns, she dresses up good to please her man. “During those times, when Baba was house, Mama drawn her umbrella behind her to the sofa” (85). Your woman does not prefer to sleep inside the bed with Bu Suleiman even though he is her partner. However if the man demands something in that case she cannot reject him.
She is essentially like a slave of the man in the house. For example , the relationship bed landscape describes what she has to complete for her man. “I observed him together with her,. the lady lay underneath him, unmoving, looking away”(86). Also, the sole role of women seen in the book is usually “A females had to be aged strong enough to deal with children and serve the man well in to his aged age (151). This certainly proves how women would not have the legal rights to express all of them self, had been treated like slaves and their only function was to comply with their guy.
Therefore , it might be concluded that the Cult of Masculinity includes a huge influence on Suleiman and Mama. Guys are always considered the higher expert in a family members. It changes the way how Suleiman thinks and how Um Suleiman ” Najwa deficits her privileges to live her life the way in which she would like to. However , it still issues me for what reason women were treated and so unequally in comparison to today. Today the women do not just have to take care of their family members but also can work in almost any career they want to, while becoming treated equally as men.
