Question

Select one short story from Mahfouz or Silko and provide a response as follows:

Mahfouz's short story--Was Mahfouz successful in writing an allegory against the secularization of Egyptian society in his time? Provide an example from the short story in your answer and how it illustrates the success or failure of his argument against secularization.
Silko's short story--Was Silko successful in writing a post-colonial story about the loss or erosion of Native American identity in the modern world? Provide an example from the short story in your answer on how it illustrates the success or failure of modernization.
Grade: Write no less than 150 words. No need to respond to another classmate's posting. There is no date extension to this extra credit discussion.

Answer 1

Mahfouz's short story "Zaabalawi" is an allegory against the secularization of Egyptian society in his time. The story is about a man's search for Zaabalawi, a saintly figure with healing powers. He encounters people who offer him different explanations for the saint's whereabouts. However, no one seems to know for sure where he can be found.

Mahfouz critiques secularization using the character of the sheikh who the man meets on his journey. The sheikh represents the religious establishment in Egyptian society, but he cannot provide the man with any concrete answers about Zaabalawi's whereabouts. Instead, the sheikh tells the man to focus on his own spiritual journey and to seek God within himself.

This scene reflects the failure of organized religion to provide spiritual guidance in a secularizing society. Mahfouz seemingly suggests that the search for spiritual fulfillment cannot be found solely through institutions or external authorities but must be an individual journey.

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Overall, Mahfouz's "Zaabalawi" was not a direct allegory against secularization. However, it criticizes the failure of institutionalized religion to provide spiritual guidance in a society undergoing significant change. The story's emphasis on individual spiritual exploration is a call to reject the impersonal and institutionalized aspects of modernity in favor of a more personal and intuitive approach to spirituality.

Step-by-step explanation: