Midaq Alley Tone

“Man is named only to be forgotten and there’s never a heart that doesn’t change”(Mahfouz 284). The ending of Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz is successful in concluding the novel by using tone and irony in the ending of relationships. Throughout the novel there is a negative tone that is emphasis in the end of the novel through the actions that take place. The actions that take place at the end of the novel also are ironic, such as the death of Abbas and Hamida’s situation. Mahfouz ends the end of the novel through actions with negative tone and irony with characters and their negative relationships. The end of the novel successfully connects with the rest of the novel and keeps the negative tone while using irony to end the relationship between Abbas and Hamida.
The end of the novel is successful on the grounds that the end is tied to the rest of the novel and concludes the relationship between Abbas and Hamida. Throughout the novel there is a negative tone and there is only one way to end the novel and that is with a negative tone. The death of Abbas is part of the negative
The whole town had a negative tone to it at the end of the novel do to Zaita and Dr. Booshy being arrested, Hamida running away with the pimp and Radwan Hussainy leaving for his religious journey. The irony in Abbas death also adds to the negative tone that goes through the town especially for his friends and family. Sheikh Darwish has an ironic quote at the end of the novel talking about Abbas death and he says,”I will be patient so long as I live, for not all things have their end? Oh yes, everything comes to its nihaya”(286). Darwish is talking about everything in life has to come to an end and saying that Abbas will have ended up dying anyway. The combination of these two stylistic devices add to the end of the novel and keep the negative tone of the novel throughout the