A Woman Is No Man

“A daughter was only a temporary guest, quietly awaiting another man to scoop her away, along with all her financial burden.” 

As Isra’s mother seeks an acceptable suitor for her, Isra is not blind to her worth. Her brothers perform manual labor, helping her father, Yacob, plow the fields. They earn their keep, while Isra is only a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. Familial love is not a part of the equation. 

“Soon you’ll learn that there’s no room for love in a woman’s life.” 

Isra dares to hope for love in her marriage, a hope her mother quashes immediately. Any false notions of love will only lead to disappointment, and Isra’s mother sees her role as preparing her daughter for the unpleasant reality of marriage, a reality in which the most important thing is sabr (patience).

“It doesn’t matter where you live as long as your home is yours. Free of occupation and blood.” 

As Isra ponders her new life as a wife, about to move to America, she tries to comfort herself with her father’s advice. Adam and his family have a home, work, and stability. Perhaps, she thinks, America will be better than the forced poverty she and her family endure in Palestine. She discovers that, for women in her culture at least, America is no different than her place of birth.