Why Does Great-Uncle Miguel Smell So Bad?

            Having read the first half of Tariq Ali’s Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, I am glad to say that last week’s intense readings on Edward Said and the theory of Orientalism, is beginning to make a lot more sense.  I love that we are able to apply these theories to a text that is not simply a fiction novel, but one that holds a vast amount of historical truth as well.  I have always been fascinated by historical fiction in that it is not purely pages upon pages of dry history, but that the reader is able to identify and truly feel the persona of realistic characters who may in fact be based off of real people.  In terms of the first half of Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, as I discovered today in class that a majority of the novel is in reality extremely historically accurate, even including its characters. 

            What stood out to me originally that sparked my interest in the historical legitimacy of Ali’s novel, was when in class we discussed the ways in which Christian members of society were able to pick up on the ways in which newly “converted” Muslim’s and Jew’s were not genuinely converted at all.  This façade could easily be identified by the Christian authority during the Inquisition, due to their knowledge of Muslim and Jewish traditions.  For example, it is a cultural practice that Muslim’s must obtain a physical purity meaning cleanliness of the body; therefore they are constantly practicing good hygiene.  The Christian’s recognized this immediately seeing as they cleaned themselves far less often.  This example was prevalent in the novel and at first I did not truly understand it.  I believe it is Ama who initiates a conversation with Yazid on how terribly their great-uncle Miguel smell’s due to his newly converted religion of Christianity.  On page ten she explains, "Now he smell's like a horse's stable".  They use his awful smell as a way to make fun of him for essentially abandoning his cultural and religious practices.  Furthermore, I was extremely interested in the public bathhouse as a cultural practice, which I feel continues along the same lines of maintaining physical purity. 

            The bath house is not really a huge setting for the novel, but I do feel that it plays some relevance in discussing the cultural practice of the books character’s, as well as it is relevant to the Inquisition as a whole.  The architecture from this period was greatly luxurious, and I feel that Ali does an exquisite job in vividly describing it.  He includes all aspects known of this time period, including the bathhouse, the beautiful gardens, and the extravagance of the Abdallah’s overall palace.  Each of these settings I feel hold and essentially represent the heart of their culture and religion, tailored and crafted to fit it impeccably.  For their great-uncle to come in and simply request that they throw this all away and take on an entirely new identity, it is unfathomable.  How could they even escape their previous traditions and identity if it is in essence surrounding them?  This question becomes a bit ironic in that following the inquisition, this basically happens.  What used to belong to an entire sect of people, has been simply renamed and given re-ownership to someone completely new.  Yet, the remains from its past are absolutely still present as an always lingering palimpsest.