The Sakeriya

I believe in life and people, and I see myself obliged to follow their high ideals as long as I believe they are the truth; for to turn away from that is cowardice and escape. I also see myself obliged to revolt against their ideals as long as I believe they are false; for to turn away from that is betrayal! And this is the meaning of eternal revolution. "Al-Sekariya" is the third part of the trilogy of "Naguib Mahfouz" which revolves around the family of Mr. Ahmed Abd El Gawad. "Al-Sekariya" begins with a sad start, like the ending of "Qasr Al-Shawq," where Aisha's son and her husband die affected by typhoid disease, and Aisha's condition changes from being a symbol of beauty and grace to a pale-skinned woman, with sunken eyes, a dull gaze, smoking excessively, and drinking coffee nonstop. She is left only with her sixteen-year-old daughter, Naima.