the Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz

The novel Children of Gebelawi by the Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most controversial Arabic novels, and it was banned from publication in many countries. Critics and scholars have written about it for many years, according to what was stated by the writer Abdullah Dais in his study of this novel. In this article, we have provided you with a detailed analysis of it.

Analysis of the novel Children of Gebelawi

(Children of Gebelawi) is a symbolic novel in which Naguib Mahfouz rewrites human history on the centrality of the lives of the prophets. He also presents his philosophical thought about modern science and its ongoing conflict with religion. [1] To clarify the idea that the writer wants to convey, the novel was broken down into its basic elements and analyzed as follows.

The title

The title in the novel Children of Gebelawi formed the threshold for entering the text and the beginning of its interpretation and analysis. It expressed the philosophical tendency that Naguib Mahfouz aims for in this novel. The title was comprehensive and complete with stories that brought together the three main religions, presenting them in a symbolic and realistic image; The word (children) was a projection of all humanity, and the word (our neighborhood) was a projection of the land on which man lives. [2]

Place

The events of the novel take place within the Egyptian society represented by the Geblawi neighborhood, and Naguib Mahfouz expressed through this society the nature of human societies in general, according to what the writer Abdullah Dais mentioned in his study of this novel.

Main Characters

The events of the novel Children of Geblawi took place between a number of main characters, namely: [3]

Geblawi: He is considered one of the most important main characters in the novel, and he was present from beginning to end, and he is a character who represents the supreme authority controlling all the affairs of the neighborhood, and Geblawi lives in the big house and a group of children are attributed to him, including Adham and Idris, and it is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz intended this character to be the divine self.

Adham: He is the son of Al-Jablawi, younger than Idris, and from another mother. He is characterized by modesty, politeness, and his piety to his parents. His father, Al-Jablawi, appointed him to manage the endowment. He loved the garden, its magic, its shadows, and its colors, and he spent most of his time in it. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant Adam, peace be upon him, with this character.

Rafaa: He is a peaceful character who calls for love, tolerance, and staying away from hatred and living in safety, by ridding people of their demons. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant Jesus, peace be upon him, with this character.

Jabal: He is one of the descendants of Al-Jablawi. He was born to a poor family, but he was sponsored by a family of status and authority. Jabal was known for his justice, honesty, and hatred of injustice. He sought to restore the rights of the people of his neighborhood despite the rejection he received from them. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant Moses, peace be upon him, with this character. Qasim: He is considered one of the most influential characters in the neighborhood, as he is the one who unites the neighborhood and spreads goodness in all the neighborhoods. He was very contemplative and loved to be alone with himself. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, by this character.

Arafa: He is an anonymous character despite his belonging to the neighborhood. He practiced magic and denied everything he heard about Jabal, Rafaa, and Qasim. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz symbolizes with this character the science that developed after the era of the prophets.

Secondary Characters

The events of the novel Children of Gebelawi revolved around a number of secondary characters, the most prominent of which are:

Umaima: She is a girl with dark skin whom Adham loved and married, but she was behind his disobedience to his father, so Adham and Umaima leave the big house and live near it until they gain the approval of Jablawi. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant Eve, peace be upon her, by the character of Umaima.

Qamar: She is the widow of a man who had a high position in the neighborhood. After hearing about Qasim and his honesty and integrity, she proposed to him. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant by this character Khadija, may God be pleased with her.

Humam and Qadri: They are the sons of Adham. Hamam was the owner of a pure heart and a kind soul. His grandfather invited him to live in the big house and get married and start a new life, which aroused hatred and jealousy in Qadris soul towards his brother, and he killed him in the end. It is noteworthy that Naguib Mahfouz meant by these two characters Abel and Cain.

Main events

Naguib Mahfouz tells the story of Al-Jablawi, the controlling father who controls everything, and has a group of children, including Idris, the eldest son, who is in charge of the endowment affairs and is characterized by modesty and wisdom, but according to the novel, he quickly loses his morals, becoming the disobedient son of his father after his brother (Adham) took over the management instead of him. His brothers remained silent and submitted to their father, which prompted Idris to curse them and ended up expelling him from the big house while his father was angry with him. [4]

After Adham takes over the management of the endowment, he becomes more active and clever in his work, and his brother Idris plots a plot that leads to his expulsion from the big house with his wife, but they live near him in the hope that he will forgive them. As the days pass, the neighborhood becomes larger and its population increases, and a group called (the bullies) appears who carry out thuggish acts and frighten the people of the neighborhood, so a group of people try to help people and protect them from the evil of the bullies, and they are: Jabal and Rafaa And Qasim. [5]

The knot and plot

After Qasims death, the bullies control the neighborhood and disappoint the people in protecting them from injustice until one day (Arafa) enters the neighborhood, an ambitious man who hates (the bullies) and tries to take revenge on them. After a while, Arafa seeks to secretly infiltrate the big house and find the box of the endowments. He enters the private room of Al-Jablawi and the maid sees him and causes her death, so he runs away in fear. [5]

The solution

According to what was reported by the writer Abdullah Dais in his study of this novel, Naguib Mahfouz ends his novel with the story of (Arafa) the magician, who symbolizes knowledge and indicates that it has replaced religion, and Arafas bombs have become the means of control, and Arafa dies at the end of the novel, and nothing remains of his knowledge except those bottles with which the overseer controls the miserable neighborhood.