In Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz, four contrasting versions of the same story are presented: four men take up residency at a lodging house; one young woman flees there from bondage and arranged marriage. The men are drawn to her; the younger ones desire her, burning the flames of jealousy and ultimately the death of one of them in which all become suspects.Since the plot isn't that central, the element of multiple narratives doesn't achieve the status of "In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (adapted by Akira Kurosawa as 'Rashomon') in which the multiple narrative sytle was perfected. Even so, each point of view adds depth to the novel and helps portray the various faces of post-Revolution Egypt.
The central character, Zohra, is a woman who wishes to emancipate herself from a future of predestination and bondage. She seeks to pursue her own path in life through education, but the men who describe her through their unique narratives are sympathetic to her, but they still view her in a somewhat condescending attitude that was typical of their culture and times. Even so, their backgrounds differ in their view of her. The two elderly men look at her as if she were the past, and together with it their lost youth, their days of glory. On the other hand the younger men view her as they would the future -- they are desirous for it and are adventurous, optimistic.
Miramar serves as the venue for these interactions. Literally meaning "view of the sea", it is a glimpse of Egypt at the time of its writing. Men are fighting one another, though all seemed confused as to what they are exactly fighting for. Zohra, however, survives. John Fowles noted in his introduction, "She is Egypt herself". There then is hope in the writer's mind for the country he so colorfully portrayed and loved.
this overview of the novel helped me a lot to understand the stroy in a different way, this peice is really benficial as it summerized the whole thing and helped in my final :)
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