Women of the Juha Stories

There is one overall theme I repeatedly noticed while reading the many sections of Tales of Juha. There is a very negative view of women in general. Now, many of these stories I see as very gentle “poking fun” at women, such as jokes about women drivers are used here in the United States. However, even though I know that there are very different gender roles here than in Arabic countries, it was something different to experience it in Tales of Juha.

One of the first stories that presented a negative view of women was the story about the necklace. A man buys each of his wives a necklace, and gives them to each woman in secret. One day, when the women are fighting over whom he loves more, he replies, “The one I gave the necklace to,” and each woman is satisfied, thinking he loves her more than the other.

This story seems to imply that women are not only fickle and easily swayed, but are childish and petty. These are not endearing qualities a woman would want her husband to think of her, and because it is presented in this book, it can be guessed that this is a common theme throughout Arab culture.

Then we reach the fact that this man has two wives in the first place, which is also a reoccurring theme throughout Tales of Juha. This is a definitely one of the topics in the collection of stories that is harder to understand, mostly because we are unable to really experience this situation in the U.S., and we are never really exposed to polygamy, unless, of course, one is a fan of the television series Sister Wives. It is a topic that is Americans really lack understanding about, and I feel like many of the stories in this book that would be hilarious to a Middle Easterner are not as funny to us as a result.

Another example of the stories’ view on women is the story where a widowing man’s donkey dies. His friends are shocked, because when the man’s wife died, he was not sad at all, but when his donkey died, he wept. He claims that people paid him attention and offered their sisters or daughters for marriage when his wife died, but when his donkey died he got no consolation.

This actually tells us a few things about their viewpoint on women. Firstly, the man does not cry when his wife dies, but weeps when his donkey passes. This shows us, perhaps exaggeratedly, perhaps not, that the donkey was more important to him. This can be taken to show that women in this society are thought of as less than animals, although that is probably generalizing too much. This still shows us though, that it would not be ridiculous for someone to say such a statement. Secondly, his friends off him women, as if they may be traded. This is kind of insulting on two levels, because women can be given freely and that women are replaceable. Women are shown to be more as objects than people, and so the connection that they may be replaced by “someone’s sister” is not too hard to believe given that thought.

There is also a story in which Juha is asked if a man over a hundred years old who marries a young girl can father a child. Juha’s response is, “Yes, if he has a neighbor who is twenty or thirty.”

This one is a little more humorous than the last, but it also builds upon the stereotype that women are promiscuous and unfaithful. This is hardly a fair stereotype, (especially considering men are allowed multiple wives), and is very one-sided. It is also comparable to jokes about young “gold-diggers” who marry rich older guys in the United States. This is a stereotype that exists in many cultures, but once again, we’re faced with the knowledge that not all stereotypes are really true, and that it may even be a little offensive.

The last story that stood out with its gender differences was one where a man came to Juha for advice about his headstrong daughter. Juha replies that he should look for a man for her husband and wise man, and that “once she has children, she’ll be wise and obedient.”

This might be funnier to a man, but in particular, I did not like that it implied that a woman must be taught by a man, or that her rightful place is to be obedient. I do live in a country where gender differences are less clear now, (although, as a future STEM woman, I am aware I will make 20-30% less than any man with the same qualifications), and so this difference in gender roles is the opposite of the spectrum of what I’m used to. I understand the believe that a woman’s primary purpose is to raise children, (I mean, evolutionally, there’s no denying it), but in this modern world it’s hard to acknowledge the fact that, in other parts of the world, that’s the only role a women is allowed to play.

These stories did not seem as funny to me, but perhaps that is because I am a woman. Perhaps, also, it is because of the stereotype that Americans think of when they think of treatment of women. I for one, have not experience what the gender differences really are, only what the media portrays. Because of this, perhaps I have a negative perception of what treatment of women is like, and so am a bit more touchy than, say, a Middle Eastern woman might be. Perhaps this is more exaggerated than it seems, and that these gender differences are not as harsh in real life.