The Prophet's Hair
I just wanted to start an entry about this story with two points:
1. Laz said in class that this may be read as a story about justice and that the characters, in the end, get more or less what they deserve. I think that while this may be partially true, the moneylender's son and daughter didn't deserve death, despite attempting to hire a thief to rid their family of the relic and the damage it was causing their family. While there may have been better, more moral ways to deal with the situation, I think they handled it as best they good, with ultimately good intentions. This brings up the question: Does the end justify the means? I would say yes.
2. Related to that, one of the alternate options suggested was for the son or daughter to publicly denounce their father and reveal his actions, possibly to their policeman uncle. I don't think this option is as simple as it seems, considering the cultural expections in traditional patriarchal Islamic societies. Even though they are no longer children, denouncing their father could lead to extreme punishments (even by the uncle if he viewed the father's position of authority as the most important thing), tear apart the family, cause severe social damage to the kids, etc. Not that it wasn't an option, but I don't think it should be viewed as the obvious, logical answer.
Thoughts?
--Lindsay
1. Laz said in class that this may be read as a story about justice and that the characters, in the end, get more or less what they deserve. I think that while this may be partially true, the moneylender's son and daughter didn't deserve death, despite attempting to hire a thief to rid their family of the relic and the damage it was causing their family. While there may have been better, more moral ways to deal with the situation, I think they handled it as best they good, with ultimately good intentions. This brings up the question: Does the end justify the means? I would say yes.
2. Related to that, one of the alternate options suggested was for the son or daughter to publicly denounce their father and reveal his actions, possibly to their policeman uncle. I don't think this option is as simple as it seems, considering the cultural expections in traditional patriarchal Islamic societies. Even though they are no longer children, denouncing their father could lead to extreme punishments (even by the uncle if he viewed the father's position of authority as the most important thing), tear apart the family, cause severe social damage to the kids, etc. Not that it wasn't an option, but I don't think it should be viewed as the obvious, logical answer.
Thoughts?
--Lindsay
posted by L Lazarow | 5:56 PM
6 Comments:
I agree with you on point 2 lindsay. This choice is NOT as easy as it may have been referred to in class. Denouncing the man that you have loved and idolized your entire life would seem to be a stretch.
I think in Laz's class last year we touched upon the idea of "does the end justify the means." This discussion was as follows:
If someone in your family was going to die without a certain medicine, but the medicine was unaffordable and unattainable by the family would you steal it to save that persons life? The answer depends on whether or not you are going to abide by the laws of society over the life of something you love so much. I know I would throw morality out the window. I think the son and daughter are perhaps doing the same thing. They are living under a new set of rules, not normal life. They throw morality out the window to save the life of the family they loved so much.
Kind of off this topic, but referring to "The Prophet's Hair", did anyone else think of the story "The Monkey's Paw"? Though it has a different plot, it also deals with the idea of an "object" (who knows if it really is a supernatural thing or not) that has unintended consequences and thus a chain of events.
That was Kate P. btw sorry
I have never heard of a situation in the Islamic society where a child turned in their own parent. In a culture so heavily prided upon respect of elders, it would be unheard of. In Islamic teachings, we are taught to obey our parents even when we feel they are wrong.
Did the son and the daughter really love their father that much though? I don't have the story with me so this could be pretty much off base, but I don't know if there was any indication of some giant love the daughter and son had for their family. I think its reasonable to assume that there is a chance that this could have been a discontent family. It certainly was after the father went crazy and beat everyone. As to the idea of rebelling against the dad, it brings up the idea of which moral standards they should hold up to. Pretty much they have the decision, like in Barn Burning, to follow their own moral code, or the moral code that society sets forth.
Sadaf, not only is it a cultural issue but i think it is universal. Perhaps it would have been the right thing to completely go against the father, but to expect them to know exactly what to do is a stretch. Yes, they did have the ability to make that decision, but I'm not sure if they get "what they deserve" in the end. Maybe its more that they made the wrong decision, but I dont think their actions justified the consequences.
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