Pauline Kaldas

In her short story A Conversation, Pauline Kaldas considers the notion of two characters debating whether to return to their home country or remain in America. Two opposing parties must decide whether to return to their home country or remain in their current position. The couple’s old age brought revelations, with one yearning for more clarity from previous life practices and the comfort of belonging that the motherland provides (Oliver 5). The bitter memories from home and the hardships they faced there as a result of their Christian convictions weigh more on one partner than the other, resulting in the dilemma. The conversation is centered on the struggle of beliefs and culture based on prosperity and wealth.

The story narrates the journey of a typical successful couple who has struggled from poverty and religious battles and made a home in their new country. It tells the history of how their families ridiculed and disowned them because of their values. Corruption and communism is a major problem in their home country that hinders the unbiased development. One character believes that their hard-earned money will ensure them a comfortable stay in Egypt because of the economy of scale, but the other believes that the old country has not changed much.

It is an informal subjective literature that depicts the struggle of immigrants and choices that come with aging. It is an example of the issues that Christians face in Arabic countries and racism in the developed states. The author narrates the dilemma in a couple’s life that positively ends with a favorable outcome that pleases the rest of the family. Morality, decency, acceptance, and community interaction are the key deciding factors in the context (Mays). The narrator is stating her position on the matter and is unable to conclude without outlaying all the facts and discussing it with the partner.

Pauline Kaldas was born in Egypt and later immigrated to the USA while she was still young with her parents. She was educated in this country and is a mother of two children now. Her husband teaches at Cairo University while she works at Hollins University. She is renowned for her famous work in short stories and literature and has been awarded for some like the first edition of Dinarzad’s Childen. She majors in teaching the Arabic culture, immigrant literature, and Arabic women study. It is evident in all her literature writings that she tries to raise awareness on the troubles and the tribulations of the average Arabic immigrant and Arabic woman in terms of culture and prestige (“Biography”).

Pauline has been writing both fictional and non-fictional short stories on the secret struggles of such families that face the same problems whereby they do not feel a sense of belonging to either location. The Time between Places, for instance, is a collection of short stories that depict the lives of the characters of Egyptians who have lived in Egypt and those in the USA. The stories show the hidden struggles from within and outside of their community and how they have managed to survive and raise their families despite all difficulties. Pauline is the voice of the mistreated and misjudged due to the religion, the culture, and the race.

Works Cited

”Biography.” Pualine Ksldas, 2017, http://www.paulinekaldas.com/bio.html Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.

Mays, Kelly J. ”The Norton Introduction to Literature”. Norton & Company Incorporated, 2013.

Oliver, Paul. ”Succeeding with your Literature Review: A Handbook for Students”. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.

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