Oldal 35 [35]
THE POLITICS AND POETICS OF LANGUAGE USE
my heart is sewn with questions,” which will be revisited in detail below, fol¬
lowed by the narrative comment “Midhat did not understand this last phrase."
Moreover, it is not hard to imagine that Midhat must be exhausted by the long
journey and probably a bit shy and afraid to make mistakes. All the nervous¬
ness and awkwardness is captured by this relexified phrase. This is corrobo¬
rated by the fact that Midhat on a later occasion says “Enchanted to meet you”,”
which still sounds a bit awkward and triggers the comment “He speaks
French very well" and still later “enchanté”,** suggesting that he is gradually
acclimatizing. However, throughout his stay in Montpellier, Midhat continues
to feel frustrated about not being able to express himself fully in French: “Of
course, it was difficult to communicate any profound sensation, let alone in
another language."
The relexified phrase also draws attention to the ways in which Midhat is
or feels othered by often well-meant comments, suggesting for example his
presumed misogyny: “Yes, I’m sure it must be odd to you, how we treat women
here.”“© and more vicious questions such as: “And when will you be returning
to your country? [...] And will you be practicing medicine in your hometown?””
as well as his feeling that his cultural capital is not valued:
But here in the Molineus’ house things seemed to be different, and Midhat was not
equipped. He had not read the right books. Even French words felt thicker lately in
his mouth, and like a heavy screen they separated him from what he wanted to say.
Each day he was more the fool, the foreigner unable to control his own meanings,
lost in the wild multiple of language."
His sense of otherness not only results from being an Arab Ottoman citizen
in France during the war years, and therefore being perceived as "a citizen of
the enemy”,® but also from being one of the few young men in town, most
young French men being sent to the front: “How odd this was, thought Midhat.
These three men, too old to fight, dining with three young women left in a
* Ibid.
12 Ibid., 28.
8 Ibid.
44 Tbid., 29.
Ibid., 35.
46 Ibid.
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Ibid., 130. These questions are asked by Silvain, Molineu’s friend, who comments to Molineu,
on another occasion not in the presence of Midhat, “Everyone is always walking over your
hospitality.” Hammad: “The Parisian or Al-Barisi”, 113. This clearly indicates that he sees
Midhat as a guest who might easily overstay his welcome.
Ibid., 87.
19 Ibid., 68.
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