Cosmopolitan Era Analysis

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It Zaki 6 also shows how Alexandria was abused by the Alexandrians after the end and the fading of the Cosmopolitan era. It is also seen in this quote which was said by Hosni Allam, "و لم عدت الى حجرتي طلبت قدح شاي لاراها من جديد.و قدمت لها قطعه شيكولاته فترددت و لكني الححت عليها" (Mahfouz 77). It is also seen in this quotation said by Hosni Allam, "ستمارس مهنه ست البيت مع الاعفاء من متاعب الحمل و الولاده و التربيه. و هي جميله, و سوف تروضها حقاره أصلها على تحمل نزواتي و غرمياتي اللمتناهيه" (Mahfouz 80). These two quotations shows how Zora represents the fading of the Cosmopolitan era in Alexandria and how people tried to abuse and misuse Alexandria after the end of the Cosmopolitan time. Lawrence Durrell also writes about…show more content…
This is also seen in what Alexandria does with people. Alexandria also hurts people. This hurting changes people and makes the enigma of the city penetrates their souls making people unable to leave the city and they become deeply attached to it. It also makes people feel that they are followed by the “black ruins” of the city whenever they go and they are unable to get rid of it. Durrell depicts both Justin and Alexandria as being both an enigma that makes people attached to them without knowing the reason. This is seen in the following quotation, “I had become here to rebuild this city in my brain-melancholy provinces which the old man saw as full of the “black ruins” of his life” (Durrell 5).This is also seen when the narrator says, “I took short journeys away from her. But without her I found life full of consuming boredom which was quite insupportable. I had fallen in love” (Durrell 61). This quotation also emphasizes the relationship between the narrator and Justine along with the relationship between the narrator and Alexandria and how he was not able to get away from his attachment to either Justine or Alexandria. Justine’s depiction as a symbol of Alexandria is also seen in when Perswarden says, “Justine and her city are alike in that they both have a strong flavor without having any real character” (Durrell 125). In this quotation, Perswarden describes Both Justine and Alexandria as having no essence and they are both shallow and meaningless from inside. Perswarden says that about Justine and Alexandria as he was not fascinated by the mysterious enigma of Justine or the

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