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Introduction
Autobiographies have been some of the most crucial works of literature used in outlining events, in the life of an individual. In most cases, autobiographies are written in the sunset days of an individual so as to depict the life journey of that person from birth to the level in which he or she is currently. In addition, many are times when autobiographies are written by individuals who have excelled in a certain field or have passed through certain unique experiences that make their story worth telling. In essence, autobiographies, like other works of literature are aimed at imbuing certain lessons mostly gained through the life journey of an individual irrespective of his or her age. Either way, they come as some of the most compelling literary works to examine or read. In most cases, they leave a vivid picture in the mind of the reader as to the things through which the author has gone. This is the case for Fatima Mernissi’s book, “Dreams of Trespass”.
In this book, Fatima outlines what it was like to be brought up in a harem in Morocco. The girl is growing up in a Moroccan household in the 40’s and early 50’s. Fatima outlines a world where the family would employ the services of a doorman so as to hinder or restrict women from leaving the houses without their husband’s permission. This is a world where an extended family composed of four households lived under a single roof, something that speaks of poverty.
From the surface, “Dreams of Trespass” comes as simply an enjoyable read that incorporates stories pertaining to daily life in Morocco, as seen from the point of view of women who lived in the harem of the father and uncle to Mernissi. On close inspection, however, “Dreams of Trespass” comes with more than a simple analogy of such events. It comes across as an insider’s account on the experiences of women and Islam in this country in the dawn of its independence from France.
This book’s title, “Dreams of Trespass” is a representation of the invisible, as well as visible barriers that these women faced in their lives. These barriers have everything to do with or revolve around Islam and women, as well as the problem pertaining to the country’s borders. After all, France had occupied what Moroccans rightfully felt was their country. In addition, the French had created various invisible lines between the varied groups of people in this country. However, it is also imperative that one examines the various barriers that revolve around the concept of the Moroccan harem. In this rich and exotic narrative of a childhood, Fatima weaves her memories with the memories and dreams of women who were surrounding her in imagination. Scholars have described it as a provocative narrative of a girl who is facing the mysteries pertaining to place, time, sex and gender in the Muslim world, the courtyard of youth women who recreate the outside world from sheer imagination as they have been denied from accessing it. The fascination in this book is based on the exploration of the meaning that these barriers have on her, as well as her family.
Of exceptional note would be the fact that no one was allowed to ask questions about the way of life in the harem. As a little girl, Fatima is constantly asking questions that are seemingly of little or no importance. In fact, her aunts and mother persistently tell her to stop asking so many questions. At a closer glance, however, the reader would acknowledge that the young girl is questioning the life that they live in the harem. As she notes, the people in this place did not ask questions so as to have answers, rather they asked them simply to comprehend the things that were happening to them (Mernissi, 22).. There are numerous frontiers underlined in this book with the most obvious one being that of the harem, which is the same for a large number of women in the book. As Fatima notes, the women needed permission to step out or into the compound or house. Getting to the gate, she states, was a procedure and women were required to justify every move that they made (Mernissi, 21).
This, however, does not negate the other frontiers that were encompassed in and out of the harem all of which had their respective areas. These included the rules imposed on women pertaining to dressing, listening to radio (Mernissi, 7), as well as the divide between Muslims and Christians (Mernissi, 1). All in all, the description that Fatima gets of the harem from Yasmina underlines the fundamental theme of the book. She states that the harem revolved around the private space, as well as the rules that govern it. The harem never needed walls to restrict an individual. Once the individual knew the things that were forbidden, he or she carried the harem with them in their heads (Mernissi, 61-62).
It may be surprising, however that Fatima does not take a stance on whether she opposes of agrees with the frontiers. Instead, she takes the role of an investigative reporter or intermediary. In essence, she enjoys everything that pertains to being a child and concentrating only on childless and trivial matters. There are instances, however that Fatima has an outburst usually when supervised by adults. In most cases, she regurgitates about things that she hears them discussing.
The climax of Fatima’s book comes towards the end, when Fatima asks the appropriate questions. She asks why she had to be detached from Samir, her lifelong partner, and why adults, all of a sudden were objecting to their being together. This is where she understands and feels what she had only experienced through listening to stories from women in harem; prejudice. At this point, the readers understand that the frontier is composed of varied circumstances that are identified by varied people and administered by varied power houses. However, the fundamental feature that characterizes all of them is the unique oppression that sets people apart in strictly controlled groups. At this stage, it becomes evident that the definition that Fatima was longing to discover was merely prejudice, which has been prepackaged into visible and invisible boundaries that characterize harem.
As much as Fatima writes the book from a feminist perspective, she gives a fond outline of her childhood and the moments that she had with the extended family. She has incredible honor for her roots, even as she outlines the flaws of the lifestyle in the harem. On one level, the book simply a biographical sketch of a girl living in a unique culture and outlining her experiences with the world. On the other hand, the book is an incredible social commentary pertaining to the cultural practice of imprisoning the minds of people through prejudice. Either way, the book makes for an incredible read.
References
Mernissi, Fatima. Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood. Cambridge, Mass: Perseus Books, 1995. Print.
