In_the_Country_of_Men

RESPONSE ESSAY OUTLINE In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar, is a story about Suleiman, a nine-year old boy, who has to face the reality of living life in Libya; a country ruled by a dictator. Suleiman’s life consists of many imbalances that cause him to face disorder and instability throughout his childhood years. The reasons for the imbalances in his life are that even though he is still a young boy, he is expected to be the man of the house during his father’s absence and is also expected to be his mother’s “saviour”. Suleiman’s search for order and stability in his life leads him to face challenges, temptations, and fears that cause him to lose his innocence. First Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence: While searching for order and stability in his life, Suleiman has to face many challenges that force him to act more mature than his age, causing him to lose the innocence of being a young boy. Quotes/Examples: 1) “Baba never found out about Mama’s illness; she only fell ill when he was away on business. It was as if, when the world was empty of him, she and I remained as stupid reminders, empty pages that had to be filled with the memory of how they had come to be married. ” (Matar, 2) Suleiman is challenged to live with his mother, Najwa, who drinks in the absence of his father and burdens her son with the knowledge of her forced arranged marriage.  When his mother is drunk she becomes unstable thus Suleiman has to take care of her, thus Suleiman portrays a role that is not suitable for a nine-year old boy. 2) “I felt my cheeks burn with anger: where is Baba' He should be here because when he’s home everything is normal, she is never ill and I am never woken up like this to find everything changed.” (Matar, 11)  Suleiman lives without his father most of the time; this becomes a challenge for him because in his father’s absence Suleiman’s world turns upside down as his mother acts irresponsible by neglecting her duties towards her son.  When Baba is away, Suleiman is expected to carry out the duties of a “grown man”, even though he is only nine-years old. 3) “He [Moosa] was acting as if suddenly he was the man of the house and I [Suleiman] the guest.” (Matar, 91)  Suleiman is challenged to face Moosa for his rightful place in the absence of his father.  Baba leaves Suleiman in charge of the house when he is away; however, when Moosa comes over he takes the place as the man of the house, in turn removing Suleiman from that position. Concluding Sentence: Suleiman is faced with many challenges that make him lose the innocence of being a nine-year old boy as these challenges force him to enter the stage of adulthood at a very young age. Second Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence: As Suleiman searches for order and stability in his life, he faces many temptations that force him to choose wrong over right, thus causing him to lose his innocence. Quotes/ Examples: 1) “Unlike Mama and Moosa, he answered my questions. He didn’t treat me like a child.”( Matar 130)  Sharief tempts Suleiman by appealing to his emotions.  Suleiman is drawn closer to Sharief because Sharief treats Suleiman the way he wants to be treated. 2) “Her secret is safe with me” … “But you, Suleiman, will have to help me.” “Anything, anything.” (Matar 131)  Sharief tempts Suleiman by assuring him that his mother would not get into any trouble, thus drawing Suleiman even closer to Sharief.  Due to temptation, Suleiman is willing to betray his father in order to save his mother from getting into any trouble. 3) “Her name is Leila”... “Every time he heard a love song he would go all soft in the stomach for her. He told me!” (Matar 109)  At this point of his journey, Suleiman feels frustrated with everything that is going on in his life thus he needs someone to take out all his frustration on.  Because he is tempted by frustration, Suleiman betrays Kareem by telling the other boys about Kareem’s “crush”. Concluding Sentence: Temptations cause Suleiman to choose the wrong path in life at a young age that causes him to lose his innocence. Third Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence: Along with challenges and temptations, Suleiman has to also face many fears related to his mothers that force him to be cautious about everything to an extent that is not expected of a nine-year old boy, causing him to lose his innocence of being a young boy once again. Quotes/ Examples: 1) “The things she told me pressed down on my chest, so heavy that it seemed impossible to carry on living without spilling them.”(Matar 19)  Suleiman’s mother has burdened him with the knowledge of how she got married to Baba.  Suleiman is aware that he is still young to know such things, thus he feels fear of betraying his mother by spilling her secrets. 2) “I was convinced that if my attention was applied fully, disaster would be kept at bay and she would return whole, and uncorrupted, no longer lost, stranded on the opposite bank, waiting alone.” (Matar 21)  Suleiman has the fear that something bad will happen to his mother, if he does not pay attention to her.  This makes him aware that he has to be there for his mother at all times otherwise he might lose her. 3) “Don’t tell, please. Please. Promise on your life that you’ll never tell a living soul, ever.” (Matar 117)  Bahloul sees the alcohol bottle, thus Suleiman fears that his mother’s secret would be known by everyone.  Suleiman beats Bahloul by throwing rocks at him in order to make sure Bahloul stays quiet about the alcohol, because he fears that his mother will be taken away if people found out about her drinking. Closing Sentence: Fears related to his mother make Suleiman do anything and everything for her, in the process losing his innocence of being a young boy. Living an unstable life has caused Suleiman to face many difficult stages of his life that include challenges, temptations and fears. Suleiman’s main fear of betraying his mom or losing her makes him more matured. However, he also loses his innocence because he has to grow up too soon, as he feels that his mother is his responsibility. These things have made Suleiman lead an unusual life that is not suitable for a nine-year old boy depriving him of his innocence at a very young age.