Midaq Alley

Abbas Hilu is a secondary but complex character who undergoes the most significant change in his character arc compared to other characters in the novel. He is the tragic hero of the novel, who dies for his honor and love for Hamida. Abbas’s character arc offers a compelling exploration of the intersection of tradition and modernity.

Abbas is introduced as a barber, a profession that symbolizes his connection to traditional values and the past. He is known for his gentle nature and humility, qualities that endear him to the residents of Midaq Alley. The narrator describes Abbas’s personality as follows:

Abbas was gentle, good-natured, and inclined toward peace, tolerance, and kindness. He was content to fill his leisure time with card playing and idle gossip with his friends at the café. He avoided participation in quarrels and all unpleasantness by waving both aside with a smile and a kind word for the contestants. He conscientiously performed the prayers and fasted and never missed Friday prayers in the mosque of Hussain (32).

Abbas represents the old way of life on Midaq Alley. His impulse for change and mobility in society comes from outside of himself—from his love for Hamida. One of Abbas’s defining traits is his unrequited love for Hamida. His affection for her is rooted in his admiration of her beauty and aspirations, but it also reflects his unconscious yearning for something beyond the confines of the alley. This unattainable love serves as a metaphor for his own longing for a better life and his struggle to reconcile his desires with the realities of his situation. Abbas and Hamida are complete opposites. Their relationship finishes with his death, at the end of Chapter 34.

Abbas’s interactions with the other characters besides Hamida, particularly with his friend Hussain and Uncle Kamil, showcase his passive and introspective nature. As the story progresses, Abbas’s character undergoes a transformation. His decision to join the British Army reflects a pivotal moment in his journey when he believes he can finally earn the love of Hamida. With the disappearance of Hamida from his life, Abbas is unable to define himself. The only notion he holds on to is his honor—an abstract notion that he does not truly believe. Hamida’s betrayal at the end of the novel brings out Abbas’s rage, which turns against him. Abbas is unable to manipulate others or to sense when he is being manipulated. His inability to adapt to a fast-changing situation results in his death. In a way, although he is killed by British soldiers, his own anger, unleashed for the first time in his life, is the indirect cause of his death. In the novel’s political context, Abbas’s tragic end is a cautionary tale about what can happen when one acts counter to one’s instincts after being seduced by outside influences. He represents an Egypt that stands on the precipice of change and must stay true to itself if it wants to survive.

Mr. Kirsha is a secondary, flat character in Midaq Alley. Kirsha is the owner of the local café in Midaq Alley, a role that endows him with a certain level of authority and respect within the community. He is known for his unpredictable temperament, often prone to fits of rage and outbursts. However, his behavior goes beyond mere aggression; it stems from his internal struggles and frustrations.

Kirsha is poor, though his condition has nothing to do with his business or lack of access to money. Rather, Kirsha is driven by his vices. Among Kirsha’s “vices” is same-sex attraction, which he goes to lengths to hide, knowing the shame that it brings his family among the residents of the alley. The novel places a moral judgment on his attraction to men by linking it with his hashish addiction and his illegal selling of narcotics, implying that nonheteronormative sexuality stems from participation in other immoral activities. Mrs. Kirsha’s attempts to stop him from seeing young men are public and provide gossip and entertainment for the neighborhood. Although he is one of the older residents of the alley, he does not represent traditional values. Rather, he is the symbol of frustrated, unconforming desire that, nonetheless, has adapted to societal expectations.

Kirsha’s political background is crucial to his character. Mr. Kirsha was once an enthusiastic nationalist, but over time, his political fervor has waned, leaving him somewhat disillusioned. This transformation reflects the realities of a changing world and the weight of unmet aspirations.

Kirsha’s relationships with his wife and son further illustrate his complicated situation. While he maintains a façade of authority in his family, his interactions reveal a certain vulnerability. His strained relationship with his son underlines his attempts to exert control and instill his own values, even if they clash with the younger generation’s desires for independence.