81 pages • 2 hours read
Tayeb SalihSeason of Migration to the North
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1966A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Why does Mustafa Sa’eed tell the narrator that poetry has no use in their village? How does this insult shape their relationship? How do you interpret the narrator’s re-writing of Mustafa Sa’eed’s poem?
Almost all the women in this book come to a tragic end, with the exception of Bint Majzoub. How does Bint Majzoub’s attitude towards sex, marriage, and men differ from other women’s? How does she react to Hosna’s death? What does this say about the role of women in Sudan?
The narrator becomes a government official and enters into several conversations about colonialism. Choose one of these conversations to analyze. What position does the narrator take? How does he respond to defenses and critiques of colonialism? How does he make sense of the opulent clothing of African leaders?
Mustafa Sa’eed’s confession begins in Chapter 2, but its final words do not appear until Chapter 9. How does this affect the narrative? Why might the narrator withhold the full confession for so long? How does the revelation of Mustafa’s final words affect the reader’s understanding of his character?
The narrator and Mustafa Sa’eed are both educated in Europe. Does this education empower them, or does it prove a hindrance? How does the narrator value his education? Why is his role in the Department of Education significant to the plot of the novel?
At various times in the novel, the narrator identifies with the Nile, the date palm, and various other features of the natural landscape. How does connection to the land shape identity in this novel?
Why doesn’t the narrator marry Hosna? What are his views on polygamy? Does he come to regret his decision?
After Mustafa Sa’eed’s death, the narrator finds himself drawn into the man’s life. Is the narrated “infected” by Mustafa Sa’eed’s story? What kinds of seeds or germs does it plant in his mind? How do they shape his subsequent action?
Does Mustafa Sa’eed feel regret for his actions? How do his feelings for Isabella Seymour, for example, contrast with his feelings for Jean Morris? How does he make sense of his own crime upon his return to the Sudan?
How do you interpret the narrator’s swim in the Nile? Does he knowingly or unknowingly repeat Mustafa Sa’eed’s actions? Why does he feel he has never made a choice? In light of the events of the novel, how do you interpret his choice to cry out for help?
