42 pages • 1 hour read
Elizabeth Warnock FerneaGuests of the Sheik
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1965A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 4, Chapters 19-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary: “Autumn”
In this brief chapter, Elizabeth describes her experience of autumn in El Nahra. When the date palm trees in Bob and Elizabeth’s garden become “heavy with ripe fruit,” they are visited by a family who identify themselves as members of the tribe and partial owners of the date trees (251). As the family picks the dates, Elizabeth becomes friends with one of the women. The woman tells her that she is affiliated with the tribe but lives among the people of the market because her husband “took up sheep trading when his land salted up” (252). The woman and Bob teach Elizabeth more about the social divisions in El Nahra that exist between the tribal people, the market people, and the government officials. The three groups rarely intermarry, and “each considered itself superior” (252).
Elizabeth also recounts the arrival of a new teacher, Aziza. Aziza impresses the town but fails to make lasting friendships like previous teachers did. Elizabeth attributes this to Aziza’s reserved nature. She is struck by Aziza’s desire to know “about the high life”—the life she thought Elizabeth led outside of El Nahra (255). Aziza’s friendship causes Elizabeth to ruminate on friendship among the women of El Nahra. She concludes that female friendship is true companionship in this society.
Chapter 20 Summary: “An Excursion into the Country”
This chapter begins with Aziza, the new schoolteacher, visiting Elizabeth and inviting her on a trip into the country with her male cousin. Because Elizabeth is visiting with Laila at the time, Aziza invites Laila as well. When Aziza asks Laila whether her father would allow her to go driving with her cousin, Laila reassures her that he would. The three have a lovely outing in the country followed by a conversation-filled dinner at Elizabeth’s house, but their dinner is soon interrupted by Mohammed. Mohammed warns Elizabeth that the women have made a grave mistake that has put Laila in danger. Laila should not have gone unaccompanied on a trip with a man who was not part of her family. Aziza’s cousin is particularly problematic because he has a reputation for being a “rake” (264). Elizabeth and Aziza realize their mistake and are filled with remorse. Laila is panicked, knowing that she is also to blame for what happened. Mohammed warns that everyone involved has to promise to deny that Laila went on the trip, and they promise to do so. Bob is admonished by the men because Elizabeth went on the trip, and Elizabeth is admonished by Laila’s sisters. Though Laila comes to no harm, the story of the trip circulates through the community. Elizabeth is grilled about the trip months later, causing her to reflect on how well she truly understands this society.
Chapters 19-20 Analysis
After spending months in El Nahra, Elizabeth starts to feel that she has firmly ensconced herself in its society. But she also acknowledges that her knowledge of tribal customs is incomplete. After making a serious mistake by joining Laila and Aziza on a country trip with Aziza’s male cousin, Elizabeth considers the potentially grave consequences that could have resulted. Laila could have been killed by her father in order to “save the honor of the other women of the family” (262). Though Elizabeth is not entirely to blame because both Aziza and Laila knew the potential dangers of the trip, Elizabeth still feels partially responsible. She is admonished by Mohammed, Bob, and Laila’s sisters as a married woman who should have known better. As Bob tells her, “You’ve made me look foolish and compromised your friend” (263). Elizabeth notes that though she has learned a great deal in the past year, “the pattern of custom and tradition which governed the lives of my friends was far more subtle and complex than I had imagined” (266).
The country trip incident reveals the power of one’s word and reputation in El Nahra. As Mohammed tells Elizabeth, everyone involved in the incident must lie about what happened to protect Laila. Mohammed and the children who saw Laila go on the trip want to protect her, so they promise to lie. Elizabeth and Aziza promise to do the same. When questioned about the trip, Elizabeth lies about it, but she finds out that some of the children have told their mothers what really happened, perpetuating a mystery. Nevertheless, Selma refuses to allow Elizabeth to be questioned any further and asks the women, “Are you calling our guest Beeja a liar?” (266).
