Deformity in Kanafani's 'Men in the Sun'

Al-Nakba, also known as al-'ightiṣāb ("the rape") or lammā sharnā wa-tla'nā ("when we blackened our faces and left") was a historical event that is synonymous with the exodus- a crisis of the heart and mind that shattered the conscience of the Palestinian figure.

In Kanafani’s ‘Men in the Sun’, this underlying theme of deformity of heart, knowledge and body comes out with full force, especially through his potent portrayal of certain conversations and events. Perhaps, one of the most resonating moments in this story is the deformity of knowledge and what it entails. When Ustaz Selim reiterates the idea of ‘when the two great rivers meet, Tigris and Euphrates, they form one river called Shatt Al Arab’, we realize that he is referring to the expansive dreams of Pan-Arab Nationalism that became synonymous with the eastern boundary of the Arab homeland. However, underneath this political vigor lies a scarcity of knowledge and historical perspective. The local Palestinian’s consciousness is rooted in the local and are unable to grasp the expansive political vista- that of Arabism. Thus, through the image of Ustaz Selim chiding his student, we realize the stark comparison between the localization of peasant thought processes and the universalism of Pan-Arabism. Essentially, Abu Qais represents a Palestinian simpleton whose basic relationship with his land is sensual, not politically motivated like that of Ustaz Selim. Then, as readers we come to realize the different interpretations of special scales of utopian vision and the political reality that the grassroots level Palestinian experiences.

The physical deformities that Kanafani brings about in his imagery are extremely important as it can be contextualized through the happenings of the Al-Nakba. The two obvious contenders for the aforementioned claim become Shafiqa, a Palestinian amputee who lost her leg in the Zionist bombardment of Jaffa in 1948 and Abul Khaizuran, the castrated Palestinian bus driver. However, what becomes interesting is that even though the male is presented as castrated or emasculated through the eyes of Kanafani, there is no attempt to bring forth defence mechanisms and ward off the horrors associated with castration. In fact, we have no evidence of the mans need to restore his masculinity and in the backdrop, the horrors of the refugee movements become even more resonating with the reader.

 The characters in this story not only lack knowledge but limbs and genitalia that define their gender binaries and there is something almost unnatural about these losses. Each character is essentially lost, without purpose, without meaning and head out for their journey to Kuwait which then also becomes a symbol of deformity- that even though the heat is something native to the Arab lands and the journey seemed easy, death came to the three male characters of the story.