Ali And Nino

Kurban Said portrays the city of Baku as both Eastern and Western like the identity of his two main characters. Baku is a city that is influenced more and more by European culture where both Ali and Nino grow up and meet, she is Georgian and he is a Mohammedan. Nino is brought up with more Western culture (European) while Ali is more of an Eastern (Asiatic) culture. Baku is one city, but it has two identities best described by Ali as desert (East) and woods (West). Said also portrays Baku as Eastern and Western by the religions of Ali and Nino, Ali is a Mohammedan, Shiite, in the interpretation of Imam Dshafar and Nino is a Christian of Greek Orthodox. Through out the novel they are struggling to see which side they will choose and eventually choose the Western because Ali partially succumbs.

The story begins with Ali describing how the school teaches the students how many students there are. They are in class and the professor makes a remark saying that it is their responsibility as to whether Baku should be progressive Europe or reactionary Asia. The professor obviously want the class to lean towards Europe then there is a kid by the name of Mehmed Haidar says he would want to stay in Asia. The professor is furious and asks to give a reason why, but he can’t so the whole class makes him feel more stupid. Then Ali says he would also want it to be Asiatic and the professor makes him at least give a reason, but before he can give a reason the professor tries to make his case by saying if he has gone to certain places that are considered backward countries compared to European standards, but Ali says that he has and just gets the professor furious. Here Ali tells the audience the reason why the professor was upset. The Professor is suppose to make his students into good Europeans and the fact there were some students who preferred the East made him furious.

Ali is a Muslim who is very proud of his religion and follows it to an extent. His family eats with their fingers he is amazed how one of his uncles and his father can eat rice with two fingers and not drop a single grain on their hand. They sit on the floor with their legs crossed and eat with their fingers. He sees how his uncle threats his 4 wives, the way they dress and how they don’t speak to anyone. The women wear veils to cover their faces and not show any part of their body. Women are nothing they are to be hidden in the shadow of the man. Women don’t have a voice they are not allowed to give any sort of advice, be in the same room as men and definitely not entertain. It is very impolite to ask about another man’s wife therefore no one does. They also believe in dying for their land with honor.

Nino is the total opposite of Ali she has been thought the values of Europeans. First she is introduced as the most beautiful girl in the world. Then he goes on to tell her what he did in class that day and how he would prefer to stay in Asia. Nino says “Ali Khan, you are stupid. Thank God we are in Europe. If we were in Asia they would have made me wear the veil ages ago, and you couldn’t see me”. (Said, p. 15) Baku is now portrayed by Nino as western and by Ali as Eastern.

Nino is a Christian, she prefers to eat the European way they use tables, chairs, and utensils when they eat. They don’t treat women like objects they are allowed to entertain and they don’t have to wear the veil. They are not allowed to have multiple wives but do have the right to choose who they want to marry. Both Ali and Nino have different cultures that they follow, but one other thing they do have in common is the love they develop for each other.

Another way Said portrays Baku as Eastern and Western is by the way Ali loves the desert and Nino loves the woods. When Ali and Nino are together in one of Nino’s family gatherings Nino exposes to her family that Ali is afraid of the trees. They all seem shocked and they don’t understand why. They ask him why he doesn’t like tree he quickly says that what they feel for trees he feels for the desert. They are amazed that someone could love the desert as much as they love trees.

“Maybe that is the one real division between men: wood men and desert men. The Orient’s dry intoxication comes from the desert, where hot wind and hot sand make men drunk, where the world is simple and with out problems. The woods are full of question. Only the desert does not ask, does not give, and does not promise anything. But the fire of the soul comes from the wood. The desert man вЂ" I can see him- has but one face, and knows but one truth, and the truth fulfills him. The woodman has many faces, The fanatic comes from the desert, the creator from the woods. Maybe that’s the main difference between East and West.” (Said, p.52)

As much as they were trying to show Ali that the woods were great they could never get him to give