Mustafa Sa'eed
Encyclopedia
Mustafa Sa'eed is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Tayeb Salih
's most known novel,Season of Migration to the North
, The character of Mustafa Sa'eed presents an early example about the Clash of Civilizations between the North and the South.
, the capital of Sudan
. His father died several months before his birth and was raised by his mother. His relationship with his mother was impersonal, described by Mustafa "as if she were some stranger on the road with whom circumstances had chanced to bring me." He went to school and realized that he was a very intelligent person, he learned the English Language
and spoke it fluently at a young age, at 12 he got a scholarship to complete his studies at Cairo
, Egypt
, then another scholarship to London
, England
. He earned a PHD in Economy
and was employed at London University by the age of 24.
,Arab
s and the Nile
in order to attract English women who were curious about the exotic. As Mustafa said about Ann Hilmad:
"Unlike me, She was yearning to tropical climates, hot suns and Purple Horizons. I was the symbol of these things in her eyes, and I'm coming from the South and yearning to the North and the frost."
Mustafa describes these behaviors as "Paying back the north some of the poison that they brought it to us" and indicates that every woman involved with him is affected by that poison and will suffer until her death.
In the novel Mustafa talked about his life in England
in a very critical of this historical period of time (between World War I
and World War II
). He demonstrates good relations both politically and culturally. This includes his relationship with the General-Attorney (who later tries to send him to death at the Old Bailey
) and his relationship with the distinguished lawyer (his ex-professor) who defends Mustafa in court.
in the night, she was seduced by Mustafa and then committed suicide, the second story is the story of Isabella Simor, a forty years old lady who was married to a well-known surgeon in England, she had a relation with Mustafa, ruined her marriage and died of cancer.
The third story is the story of Ann Hilmand, A teenage girl who had illusions about the east mysteries, she was an Orientalist
and she spoke Arabic language
and liked Arabic poetry
, she also committed suicide by Gas poisoning and the words of her suicide letter were: "Mr.Sa'eed, God Damn you".
Mustafa felt that this girl is different and he started to chase her wherever she went, his legendary unbreakable heart start to feel the taste of love, she kept humiliating him but he kept chasing her until she agreed to marry him but they didn't have a normal life together, Jean did not change her behavior and cheated on Mustafa many times, she didn't want to keep her behaviors unrevealed, he wanted him to know about everything, Mustafa started to feel the pain and felt that he was punished for everything he did in his life.
Mustafa Started to think about killing Jean gradually until he decided to kill her and end his misery, She was expecting him at home, feeling happy that Mustafa will give her the thing that she wanted for years, he put a knife between him and her and start hugging her until the entire knife went deep in her chest leaving both of them in a small lake of blood.
Mustafa considered that everything happened before his meeting with Jean Morris was a premonition and everything that he did after killing her was an apology, not for killing her but for the lie that was his life. he regretted not killing himself with her and that became an Obsession that will follow him for the rest of his life.
bend in Sudan, He married a Sudanese girl called Hasna from the village and start working in Agriculture, He had two sons and a normal house with a strange room that no one can enter it but him.
The narrator of the novel who came recently from England to the village started to look for information about Mustafa Sa'eed's life, he was curious about the origins of this strange man in his village, he managed to force Mustafa to tell him his story then Mustafa was suspiciously missed after going to swim in the Nile in the time of flood.
Mustafa left the custody of his family in the hands of the narrator and his wife committed suicide after she killed her new husband who married her against her will.
The narrator "who was in love with Mustafa's widow" entered Mustafa's special room in order to discover his secrets and burn the room and he found that Mustafa had brought everything that reminded him with his past and put it in this room and found a lot of details that integrated with the story that he heard from Mustafa.
Tayeb Salih
-Early life:Born in Karmakol, near the village of Al Dabbah in the Northern Province of Sudan, he studied at the University of Khartoum before leaving for the University of London in England. Coming from a background of small farmers and religious teachers, his original intention was to work in...
's most known novel,Season of Migration to the North
Season of Migration to the North
Season of Migration to the North is a classic post-colonial Sudanese novel by the late novelist Tayeb Salih...
, The character of Mustafa Sa'eed presents an early example about the Clash of Civilizations between the North and the South.
Early life
He was born in KhartoumKhartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, the capital of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. His father died several months before his birth and was raised by his mother. His relationship with his mother was impersonal, described by Mustafa "as if she were some stranger on the road with whom circumstances had chanced to bring me." He went to school and realized that he was a very intelligent person, he learned the English Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and spoke it fluently at a young age, at 12 he got a scholarship to complete his studies at Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, then another scholarship to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He earned a PHD in Economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
and was employed at London University by the age of 24.
Characteristics
Mustafa was a very unemotional man, with a strong sexual desires that led him to seduce young women from all levels of the English Society in order to satisfy his desires. He used to use fake names and create false stories about the Mideast, AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
,Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s and the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
in order to attract English women who were curious about the exotic. As Mustafa said about Ann Hilmad:
"Unlike me, She was yearning to tropical climates, hot suns and Purple Horizons. I was the symbol of these things in her eyes, and I'm coming from the South and yearning to the North and the frost."
Mustafa describes these behaviors as "Paying back the north some of the poison that they brought it to us" and indicates that every woman involved with him is affected by that poison and will suffer until her death.
In the novel Mustafa talked about his life in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in a very critical of this historical period of time (between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). He demonstrates good relations both politically and culturally. This includes his relationship with the General-Attorney (who later tries to send him to death at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
) and his relationship with the distinguished lawyer (his ex-professor) who defends Mustafa in court.
Three stories
The novel mentions three stories about three different ladies that had relations with Mustafa. The first story of Shilla Ghrinod, a socialist student worked in a restaurant in the day as a waitress and studied in the PolytechnicPolytechnic
Polytechnic may refer to:Education:* Institute of technology, and polytechnic, several types of educational institutions, including:** Polytechnic , a higher education institution...
in the night, she was seduced by Mustafa and then committed suicide, the second story is the story of Isabella Simor, a forty years old lady who was married to a well-known surgeon in England, she had a relation with Mustafa, ruined her marriage and died of cancer.
The third story is the story of Ann Hilmand, A teenage girl who had illusions about the east mysteries, she was an Orientalist
Orientalist
Orientalist may refer to:*A scholar of Oriental studies*A person or thing relating to the Western intellectual or artistic paradigm known as Orientalism...
and she spoke Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and liked Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry is categorized into two main types, rhymed, or measured, and prose, with the former greatly preceding the latter...
, she also committed suicide by Gas poisoning and the words of her suicide letter were: "Mr.Sa'eed, God Damn you".
Jean Morris
During his relationship with Ann Hilmand, he started chasing a new girl called Jean Morris,she was uneasy girl with unusual moods, she used to treat Mustafa badly and cruelly in public places, she also humiliated him in many situations but deep in her soul,she loved him and she can't stand being apart with him or seeing him with another woman, She knew that he will give her the thing that she wants the most.Mustafa felt that this girl is different and he started to chase her wherever she went, his legendary unbreakable heart start to feel the taste of love, she kept humiliating him but he kept chasing her until she agreed to marry him but they didn't have a normal life together, Jean did not change her behavior and cheated on Mustafa many times, she didn't want to keep her behaviors unrevealed, he wanted him to know about everything, Mustafa started to feel the pain and felt that he was punished for everything he did in his life.
Mustafa Started to think about killing Jean gradually until he decided to kill her and end his misery, She was expecting him at home, feeling happy that Mustafa will give her the thing that she wanted for years, he put a knife between him and her and start hugging her until the entire knife went deep in her chest leaving both of them in a small lake of blood.
Mustafa considered that everything happened before his meeting with Jean Morris was a premonition and everything that he did after killing her was an apology, not for killing her but for the lie that was his life. he regretted not killing himself with her and that became an Obsession that will follow him for the rest of his life.
Trial, returning to Sudan and death
Mustafa was tried at the Old Bailey in London and he was sent to spend seven years at prison, after spending the period of the imprisonment, he left England forever and traveled in the world until he returned to settle in a small village at the NileNile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
bend in Sudan, He married a Sudanese girl called Hasna from the village and start working in Agriculture, He had two sons and a normal house with a strange room that no one can enter it but him.
The narrator of the novel who came recently from England to the village started to look for information about Mustafa Sa'eed's life, he was curious about the origins of this strange man in his village, he managed to force Mustafa to tell him his story then Mustafa was suspiciously missed after going to swim in the Nile in the time of flood.
Mustafa left the custody of his family in the hands of the narrator and his wife committed suicide after she killed her new husband who married her against her will.
The narrator "who was in love with Mustafa's widow" entered Mustafa's special room in order to discover his secrets and burn the room and he found that Mustafa had brought everything that reminded him with his past and put it in this room and found a lot of details that integrated with the story that he heard from Mustafa.
See also
- Season of Migration to the NorthSeason of Migration to the NorthSeason of Migration to the North is a classic post-colonial Sudanese novel by the late novelist Tayeb Salih...
- Character study essay of Mustapha and Nameless Narrator from Season of Migration to the NorthSeason of Migration to the NorthSeason of Migration to the North is a classic post-colonial Sudanese novel by the late novelist Tayeb Salih...
http://aalaamj.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/mustapha-sa%E2%80%99eed-vs-nameless-narrator-a-study-of-the-possible-%E2%80%9Coneness%E2%80%9D-in-salih%E2%80%99s-season-of-migration-to-the-north/