Partitions

            This week, we began reading our literature circle book choice. All the books have a Muslim or Muslim/American theme. My group is reading “I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister. by Amelie Sarn. In the first half of the book, the narrator, Sohane, goes back and forth between what is presently happening and the events that led up to everything. The relationship with her sister Djelila has always been close. They share a room. They leave together and ride the bus to school. They are close in age. Even when they disagree, they seem to find their way back to a close relationship.

            I found the use of the idea of “partitions” most interesting. Sohane wrote about having one identity at home for the family, one for school and friends, and those not aligning to who you really are. Both of the sisters are trying to figure out who they are, and they express this in different ways. Djelila is social and on the basketball team and does not wear traditional Muslim head coverings and she is not interested in anything religious even after growing up that way. Sohane is more conservative and wants her identity to include the tie to her religion and decides to start wearing a head scarf. The question is, knowing that all the personality partitions exist, what will happen when you want to be yourself? In Djelila’s case, she is watched by a group of guys who are not in favor of what she does and eventually she is killed. Right before that, when Djelila questions her uncle, it is seen as disrespect. Djelila gets out of that situation when her mother claims Djelila seems sick and should go to bed. What I wonder is how this works in general. Do you feel like your life is partitioned similarly? That, for example, when you are with family you must act one way yet it can be different at work or around friends? What is an example and how do you feel about it?