PRINCESS: A REVIEW
10 January 2016. TECODH
Amir Taheri [1]
This review explores the hidden emotions of an Arab female through the Princess, a critical writing of Jean Sasson who writes mainly on women in the Middle East. She was fascinated by stories of different cultures around the world and her curiosity propelled her to find work in Saudi Arabia as an administrative coordinator at the King Faisal Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh where she met with Sultana, the major character of her story Princess. While in Saudi Arabia, Sasson developed a strong network of friendship with a number of Saudi women and through them she began to understand the day-to-day reality of being a female in a male-dominated society. From Sultana and other members of her royal family, Sasson learned about the inequalities of the Saudi society.
Women are more prone to identity crisis and frustration than men. Literary writings on women, for women and of women, many times incite a rebellion against the patriarchal norms of the society. They draw distinct lines among the main elements that go into the composition of a feminist psyche and identity. Often women rise from the embers of tragedy to make a name and place for themselves. In literature of different lands and from different cultures, we find women searching for answers and reasons for their suffering and frustration.
The book Princess has been divided into twenty chapters, focusing on the life, family, marriage, polygamy of the Sultana’s royal family in particular and on the women’s (Saudis) deprived status in general.
In Chapter One, Jean Sasson tells about the cruel and unjust ways of the male society in Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia are given no identity, starting with their birth and ending with their death. Both accounts are neither recorded nor written down. “Neither our births nor our deaths are made official in any public record. Although births of the male children are documented in family or tribal records, none are maintained anywhere for females.” The chapter continues with the childhood of Sultana. The author describes a number of horrible incidents such as Sultana’s fight with Ali (her brother) over an apple that how their fight leads to their father’s judgment, resulting in Sultana’s punishment. Needless to say, until recently education was strictly forbidden for women in Saudi Arabia. The only thing which was entangled with their tradition was reciting Koran.
Chapter Two describes the efforts of how to break this tradition by Iffat (King Faisal’s wife) who encouraged the education of girls of royal family despite the resistance. Nevertheless, the royal girls were not allowed to go to school and so their classes were organized in the residents of some royal relatives where Sultana and her sisters enjoyed such times. Due to severe restrictions, events like private education have always been regarded as a way of recreation for Sultana. The social institutions, i.e. polygamy and arranged marriage have been regarded as two major issues of women’s rights violations. The book explains that the Arabs of Saudi Arabia do not respect their wives according to the Islamic tradition and that they misinterpret the words of the Prophet Mohammad.
In Chapters Three and Eleven, Sultana and Sara’s (Sultana’s sister) arranged marriages is discussed. According to the author, if a woman finds a situation to contact her future husband, it is a miracle. Sultana’s father found a guy for his daughter (Sultana) and informed her that she should get ready for the marriage, without asking her whether she likes the man or not.
In Chapters Six, Eight, and Nine, the author narrates typical treatment of women by men in the Arab society. How they treat women for the sake of their pleasure and how they behave with foreign girls or those who come to Saudi Arabia for better jobs. The incident of raping a young girl at an apartment in Cairo by Hadi[2] and Ali is also discussed. “Hadi was raping a young girl, no more than eight years old, and Ali was holding her. Blood was everywhere and our brother and Hadi were laughing…” as told by Sultana in the story. The author cites another shocking incident. Nadia and Wafa (Sultana’s friends) while in bazaar felt their driver is not in time to pick them up, they approached another stranger to take them home. Unfortunately, they were arrested by the Public Morality Committee who roam the streets of Riyadh in an effort to apprehend people in acts prohibited by the Koran. Anyway, after three months of bleak imprisonment, owing to the lack of hard evidence of sexual activity the Committee released Wafa and Nadia to their respective fathers. Wafa’s father arranged a hasty marriage for his daughter with a Mutauua[3]. But, Nadia was sentenced to death, drowning in the family’s swimming-pool, by her father.
Circumcision is another barbaric custom of women’s miserable life. The Arabs believe in this tradition and follow the practice. For example, Chapter Eleven tells us about Nura (Sultana’s eldest sister) who experienced this barbaric practice in her early life. The book in Chapter Twelve tells reader about Sultan’s marriage life. She sees a ray of hope in her future life and vows to reform the conditions of women in the Arab society by the help of her children. In this chapter, Sultana feels happier as a result of her relationship with Karim (her husband), although such relationship does not last for long, as is explained in Chapter Thirteen. This chapter tells us about Sultana’s mother-in-law who expected her bride (Sultana) to follow the usual Arabic tradition. Karim’s mother (Noorah) wanted Sultana to work for her like a servant, but since Sultana herself was one of the daughters of the royal families, she could not bear such instructions.
The book also discusses the marital relationship between Sultana and Karim such as their physical encounter and quarrels. Such development leads Karim to ignore Sultana. This also makes Sultana think of divorce, irrespective of Karim’s will. Sultana’s pregnancy stops their hostility. The book explains how Sultana faces various problems and how she deals with them. Sultana would not allow Karim to treat her like what other Arabs do to their wives. There are two important things about women in Arab societies: first, giving birth to male children, and second to use them as sexual objects. A woman should be fortunate if she gives birth to a son. Otherwise, she will be deserted by her husband or she must live with the second wife of her husband, as was about to happen to Sultana, but it failed.
Chapter Fourteen focuses on the importance of male children. When Karim comes to know that his infant is a male, he rewards the entire medical team with gold and 5000 English Pound each, as well as an expensive automobile (Jaguar) along with 50,000 English Pounds to the chief doctor.
In Chapter Fifteen, the reader comes across a horrible event. Amal, a thirteen-year-old girl was raped by several boys who pleaded ‘not guilty’ in the court. Amal failed to prove her innocence and finally was sentenced to death by stoning. Surprisingly, her father supported this horrible sentence by saying, “She must be punished because she has brought shame to our family. The boys had done only what any male would do under the circumstances.”
Chapter Sixteen is about King Faisal’s death. He was admired by many Arabs, including Sultana, because King Faisal (along with Iffat, his wife) was regarded as the man who worked to reform the traditional society of the Saudi Arabia. The same chapter explores the typical ideas of Saudi men who do consider women as third-class citizens. In this respect, there are debates on the relation between men and women among the Sultana’s family members. Ali’s thinking over the girls and women of America shows that all of them are whore, however, Karim’s reply is in contrast with Ali’s idea.
‘Woman’s Room’ is the title with which the author starts her Seventeenth Chapter; another horrible incident which shows the difficult situation of women in Saudi Arabia, a kind of punishment, confined to a room of darkness — gradual death.[4] The incident is of Tahani’s (sister of Sultana) best friend Sameera who falls in love with a Westerner. Sameera was not successful in her love with Larry and more crucial was the death of her open-minded father who sent Sameera to London for higher education. As a result of her father’s death, Sameera could not be supported financially and she was forced to return to Saudi Arabia. At the moment of arrival, her uncle confines Sameera in a room till he finds a groom for her. Because of her relation to Larry, Sameera was not virgin anymore. Finally, Sameera would get married to a man, holding three other wives. But, because of Sameera’s quarrels, her husband would divorce and reveal her ‘impurity.’ The uncle sought guidance through the pages of the Koran. He soon found verses that cemented his decision to shut away the one who had shamed his family name. Therefore, Sameera was sentenced to the Woman’s Room.
Sultana, later in her marriage life, faces the common practice of polygamy in the Eighteenth Chapter. During a routine examination at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Sultana had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was warned not to become pregnant. Karim informed her that he wants to wed another woman to have more children. Sultana wants Karim to divorce her, but Karim refuses, saying if she gives up the children to his second wife then it is possible. The only way for Sultana was to escape; a dangerous decision. If arrested, death penalty would be the only option. But, since she is a princess and believes in her own power, she is not humiliated.
Therefore, the author describes her escape in Chapter Nineteen. Sultana calls her favorite pilot and tells him that she wants to go to Jeddah. She does not inform any one for her own safety. When she meets the pilot, she tells him that the plan has changed because of the illness of her child. “I have to go to Dubai.” After meeting her children in Dubai, she flies to London. Anyway, the story explains how she would be able to force Karim to comply with her rules by not marrying another woman, and how Karim would agree.
And, the Last Chapter presents the women’s struggle against the government: They drive cars up and down the streets, and as a result of their bravery, their lives are devastated, passports taken, jobs lost, and some killed by their own families. In sum, Princess says a female from the very beginning faces discrimination at home. Even, women from royal family are not exceptional. Although a number of royal women fight against discrimination, their efforts have not undermined the male dominant society of Saudi Arabia. The book suggests the way women want to lead their lives is unacceptable to the traditional Arabs, simply because this may threaten the men’s dominated role. The major obstacle against women’s emancipation is traditionally rooted doctrines of Islamic fundamentalism. But, forces of modernity have succeeded a bit to push back the traditional minded Arabs, as it is evident in Sultana’s relationship with Karim. Sultana and the women of her time have been facing a major problem: identity crisis. Many of them still do not know about their actual roles: Are they mere sexual objects for men’s pleasure? Are they tools for sexual reproduction? Are they mothers? Or are they marriage partners? In the end of Princess, Sultana concludes in her own words: “Thirty years had passed yet nothing had changed. My life had come full circle. Father and Ali, Karim and Abdullah (Sultana’s son), yesterday, today and tomorrow, immoral practices passed, leaving a legacy of shame in their treatment of women.”
[1] Amir Taheri holds a Ph.D in English Literature and currently he is a visiting Assistant Professor, teaching English literature at the Applied Science University in Tehran.
[2] A friend of Ali (Sultana’s brother) who was a religious student.
[3] Means, a Morale Police of Islam.
[4] Woman’s Room in the Princess is a situation where the windows are closed with cement blocks. Insulation is installed so that the cries of the imprisoned cannot be heard. A special door is hung, with a bottom panel adjusted to serve as an entry for food. A hole in the floor is built for the disposal of body wastes.