The Troubled Woman in Sameera Azzam's Stories

Abstract

This research tries to highlight the role of a pioneer storywriter in Jordan and Palestine; namely, Sameera Azzam. I have discussed five of her story collections; Little Things, The Clock and the Human Being, The Big Shadow, Other Stories, and Al-Eid from the West Window. In discussing these early collections, the researcher has focused on studying the image of the troubled and suppressed woman in the Arab world in general and in Palestine in particular. Contrary to what the researcher expected from Azzam's stories, and unlike other stories by Azzam where she concentrated on the events and pains of Palestine, in these collections, Azzam did not focus on these events and pains. Most of Azzam's stories are about the suffering of the poor, how hard it is for them to make a living, and the injustice they experience. Her stories are also about women's feelings, suppressed desires and emotional deprivation. Azzam excelled in analyzing deeply the woman's character and manifested clearly her worries. Azzam used feminine expressions in most of her stories which are about the woman as a beloved, mother, torn asunder, and prostitute, where she used daring language if the time and place of these stories are taken into consideration. In addition, Azzam focused on the woman as a teenager and the woman who has been expelled from her homeland. The researcher has studied the situation of the troubled woman in these stories, but this cannot be done away from the woman's partner, the man. The researcher also had to focus on the hardships faced by the middle and lower social classes. Moreover, the researcher has concentrated on the patriotic side and the suffering of the Palestinians in Azzam's stories although some critics deny this side in her stories.