Shadow on the Wall: Superhero | Magical Realism Novels (The SandStorm Chronicles | Magical Realism Books Book 1) (29 page)
Authors: P.K. Tyler
1.
Shadow on the Wall
uses of both the magical and the mundane to create a world in which a modern day superhero is plausible. How does the author bring these factors together to create a believable creation story? How would life have been different for Recai had Rebekah not been killed?
2. Each section of the novel is introduced with a religious quote, or epigraph. What was the purpose of these and how did they relate to the corresponding sections?
3. Describe Recai's emotions during the attack on Rebekah. What is the source of Recai's declaration to marry her, despite their religious differences? What impact does her death have on his development as a hero?
4. The struggles of the women of Elih are representative of the larger inequalities of women throughout the world. What is the purpose of placing this story within the Muslim culture? How does gender play a role in the current political climate within the Middle East?
5. What events in the story support Maryam's observation that "man [is] perhaps a worse threat to humanity's soul than any devil"? Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
6. What was your first impression of Darya? What does her refusal to fit into a niche say about the kind of person she is? How did your understanding of her character change as the story evolved?
7. "The RTK were charged with upholding the moral law of Islam, but more often than not, they were the very ones breaking that code." Give some real life examples of situations where those charged with upholding the law were also the ones to corrupt it.
8. Darya and Maryam have different feelings about the hijab: one views the headscarf as freeing, the other as confining. How would you feel in their situations? Do you think hijab is a protective or oppressive measure? Does your opinion change when discussing niqab or the burqa? Does it make a difference if wearing one is the woman's choice?
9. Images of the landscape and sand recur throughout
Shadow on the Wall
. Discuss passages where the sand appears and consider its symbolism. When is the sand destructive? When is it not?
10. What makes Isik such a compelling antagonist? Discuss what it is about him that appeals to you as a reader? What does his relationship with Darya reveal about him? How does his story resemble Recai's and how does it differ?
11. Through your reading of
Shadow on the Wall
, what were you particularly surprised by? Explain how this book might help to challenge prejudice about Islam and the variety of people who follow Muhammad. What assumptions did you bring to the book? Have they changed?
12. How do the men in the story react to the violence against women? How are they different? How are they the same? In what ways does religion inform their reactions, if at all?
13. Consider the author's unflinching depictions of violence and gender inequality alongside the work of other writers. How does
Shadow on the Wall
compare to similar themes presented in such disparate works as Margaret Atwood's
Handmaid's Tale
, Laleh Khadivi's
Age of Orphans
, Neil Gaiman's
American Gods
, and Salman Rushdie's
Satanic Verses
?
14. Although Tyler's novel illuminates one very specific time and place, her depictions of cultural confinement and corruption can be applied to many other settings. In what ways do you identify personally with the themes and issues in
Shadow on the Wall
?
15. Discuss the author's unique writing style and refer to passages that are particularly poetic or moving. What does the use of multiple voices contribute to the novel? How would the story be different if it were narrated only through Recai's eyes?
• Bey – Turkish prefix for men as in Mr.
• Beyan – Turkish prefix for women as in Mrs.
• Burqa – A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover their bodies in public places. This is often considered one garment which covers hair, bust and eyes.
• But those who wronged among them changed the words to a statement other than that which had been said to them. So we sent upon them a punishment from the sky for the wrong that they were doing. (Surah 7:162, Qu'ran)
• Djinn – An invisible spirit mentioned in the Qu'ran and believed by Muslims to inhabit the earth and influence mankind by appearing in the form of humans or animals. Often correlated to demons or genies in Western mythology.
• Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a violent Sandstorm? (Surah 17:68, Qu'ran)
• Effendi – Turkish title given to a man of high social standing or education.
• Egirdir Commando – Fictitious unit of the Turkey Military based on the intense training provident soldiers in the Egirdir Mountain Commando School and Education Center.
• Fatimah – Muhammad's daughter with first wife Khadijah. Wife of Ali and mother of Hasan and Husain. Fatimah is regarded as a loving and devoted daughter, mother, wife, a sincere Muslim, and an exemplar for women. She is reported to have been the confidant and an advisor of her father and husband.
• Fistic – Term of endearment, literally "peanut"
• Golems – From Jewish folklore, an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter.
• Got veren – Turkish insult loosely translated to "ass giver."
• Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.
• Halal – Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The term is used to designate any object or action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible.
• Hasankeyf – An ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. Hasankeyf`s origin as a settlement area probably dates back to prehistoric times. The city was the pivot of Turkish culture with its plentiful educational and scientific institutes. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.
• Hijab – Refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general. The Arabic word translates to "curtain" or "cover." Most Islamic legal systems define this type of modest dressing as covering everything except the face and hands in public. Many divergent views exist about the necessity and definition of hijab.
• In'shallah – Arabic translates to "God willing"
• Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi raji'un – Translates to" "Who, when a misfortune overtakes them, say: 'Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return.'" (Surah 2:156, Qu'ran) This is the phrase that Muslims recite when a person suffers some kind of loss and is usually recited upon hearing the news of someone's death.
• Isha prayer – Last of the five prayer times in a day. This can be performed anytime before dawn the next day but is ideally done before half the night is over.
• Israelite Asiyah – Asiyah was the Israelite wife of the Pharaoh who discovered Moses in the river. Asiyah is said to have worshiped God in secret and praying in disguise fearing her husband. She died while being tortured by her husband, who had discovered her monotheism. According to Hadith, she will be among the first women to enter Paradise because she accepted Moses' monotheism over the Pharaoh's beliefs.
• Jahannam – One of the many names for Hell in Islam. Jahannam refers specifically to the depth of its pit. Descriptions of hell are detailed and full of torture.
• Kahretsin – Turkish for "damn."
• Karakucak – A Turkish folk wrestling style practiced nationwide and sanctioned by the Turkish Wrestling Federation.
• Kum firtinasi – Turkish for "Sandstorm," a strong wind carrying sand particles through the air. They are low level occurrences, usually only ten feet in height not more than fifty feet above the surface. Due to the frequent winds created by surface heating, they are most predominate during the day and die out in the night.
• Laa ela-ha el-lal-la – Arabic for "There is no god but Allah."
• Malik - Malik is known as the angel of hell to Muslims, who recognize Malik as an archangel. Malik is in charge of maintaining Jahannam (hell) and carrying out God's command to punish the people in hell.
• Marussia B2 – Second in a series of coupes built by Marussia Motors. Sporty, high-tech, and elegant, the Marussia B-2 comes with three flat panel touch displays, 420 horsepower, and tops out at over 160mph.
• Masha'Allah – Translates to "as God has willed." This phrase is used when admiring or praising something or someone, in recognition that all good things come from God and are blessings from Him.
• Mecca – Mecca was the birth place of Muhammad and is the most sacred place in Islam. The Ka'ba is a mosque (built by Abraham, according to Muslim tradition) is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, built around a black stone. The Prophet Muhammad designated Mecca as the holy city of Islam and the direction (qibla) in which all Muslims should offer their prayers.
• Muezzin – A man appointed to call to prayer climbs the mineret of the mosque, and he calls in all directions, "Hasten to prayer." The professional muezzin is chosen for his good character, voice and skills to serve at the mosque; he, however, is not considered a cleric.
• Muslimah – A Muslim woman.
• Niqab – A piece of cloth which covers the face below the eyes worn by some Muslim women as a part of their modest dress.
• Nogai tea – A Turkish drink prepared by boiling milk and tea together with butter, salt and pepper.
• Only an honorable man treats women with honor and integrity. And only a mean, deceitful, and dishonest man humiliates and insults women. (This Hadith is reported by Ibn ‘Asaker)
• Purdah – System of sex segregation, practiced especially by keeping women in seclusion. In some Muslim communities women who are unmarried but have begun puberty are kept in strict seclusion to maintain their purity.
• Qu'ran – Holy Book of Islam is considered the direct word of God as recited by the Prophet Muhammad. The Qu'ran is divided into 114 surahs (sections or chapters of unequal length).
• Quibla – The direction of Mecca from any point in the world.
• Rak'ah – Movements and words recited during prayer.
• Roma – Ethnic group with origins in Northern India and Romania. Widely referred to as Gypsies.
• Sajdah – Prostration to Allah. The position involves having the forehead, nose, both hands, knees, and all toes touching the ground together.
• Salaam alaikum – Islamic greeting meaning "peace be upon you"
• Saqar – One of the names of Hell (Jahannam) mentioned in the Qu'ran.
• Shalom – Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used to mean both hello and goodbye.
• Shariah law – Islamic Moral Code and Religious Law based on the Qu'ran and example of the Prophet Muhammad's life. Modernists, traditionalists, and fundamentalists all hold different views of sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries, societies and cultures have varying interpretations of sharia as well.
• Shik turban – A garment worn by a man in the Shik religion in keeping with the five articles of faith. The turban is intended as protection for the Tenth Gate or spiritual opening at the top of the head.
• Siktir lan – Translates to "fuck off."
• Taqiyahs – a short, rounded cap worn by some observant Muslim men to emulate the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, who were never seen without their heads covered.
• The Prophet tells us "Let not compassion move you in their case." (Surah 24:2, Qu'ran)
• Ulama - The educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shariah law, but the term is also used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training and study of Islamic sciences.
• Ululation – A long, wavering, high-pitched lament.
• Ummah – Arabic word for community or nation. Often used to describe the entire Muslim world.
• Walaikum as salaam - The standard response to "salaam alaikum" meaning "And upon you be peace."
• We sent upon them a punishment from the sky for the wrong that they were doing. (Surah 7:160, Qu'ran)
• Zina – Islamic sin of unlawful sexual intercourse, primarily adultery, fornication, having sexual intercourse without being married.